Title expectations bridge GCU from indoor to outdoor

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3/6/2025 5:50:00 PM | Track and Field, Paul Coro

Lopes men aim to back up March trophy with 4-peat in May

By: Paul Coro

The Grand Canyon fingerprints on track and field head coach Tom Flood's 26th WAC championship trophy are still fresh before the next season's title quest is underway.

Coming off the GCU men's eighth indoor WAC title in nine tries, the Lopes make the back turn to an outdoor season in which the Lopes are seeking a men's WAC four-peat and a follow-up to the GCU women being runner-up last season.

The Lopes have sent a program-record 17 student-athletes to the NCAA West Region meet in the past two years and have the personnel for a strong last lap around the WAC.

"We would love to go out with a bang at outdoors," Flood said. "The goal outdoors always is to win the conference championship, but it is also qualify as many athletes, men and women, as possible to the West Region (top 48) and, from there, still take as many as possible to the NCAA Championships."

The GCU men have captured the past three WAC outdoor titles with an average margin of 27 points between it and the runner-up.

"We will reload," said Flood, whose Lopes start outdoor competition Saturday in Tucson at Arizona Spring Break Fiesta. "I think we're even better in outdoor."

The strength of the Lopes lies in the hurdles, where they could have taken the top four spots at this month's WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships if not for an injury.

"We're loaded, obviously with Cam (Wilmington, a senior) and Daviciea (McCartney, a graduate)," Flood said. "Both should be regional qualifiers. Prosper (Ekporere, a sophomore) won the indoors (in the 60-meter hurdles), and he always professes that he's not an indoor hurdler. He broke the school record and tied the all-time WAC record, so I can't wait to see him outdoor."

Sophomore Francisco Marques, who is from Portugal, is coming off an injury to add to do high hurdles, and senior decathlete Justice Fair also has individual scoring potential in the hurdles.

With Fair. sophomore Blayk Kelton and 2024 NCAA Championships qualifier Casey Tow, decathlon also projects to be a GCU strength.

The Lopes sprints continue to be deep despite the end of graduate Erin Brown's career after the WAC indoor meet.

"That'll be a big piece of the puzzle that we will definitely miss," Flood said. "I'm really proud of the kid, not only athletically, but he knocked it out of the park with a degree and already started a master's program."

GCU senior Justin Raines was a two-time WAC indoor champion in the 60 and 200 and will be competing at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship next week in Virginia.

Flood said Raines with junior Miguel Rosario III, junior Jacob Holguin and senior JoJo Harding have the potential to run a 400 relay in the low 39s.

"It's a good mix, and we have a lot of depth in that 100 and 200," Flood said.

Sophomore Michael Archie, a Houston transfer, could make an impact again as a mid-distance runner after helped GCU's WAC indoor title by scoring in three events to break up Utah Valley runners' tallies.

"Every point is going to matter again," Flood said after GCU edged Utah Valley by three points for the indoor title.

Even with throwing stars Israel Oloyede's and Jorden Okyere's careers completed, Flood believes assistant coach Jeremy Tuttle will have youth step up in the discus, shot put, hammer and javelin. Graduate Andrew Wells gives the Lopes an experienced hammer specialist.

Senior Grant Hagaman's pole vault and freshman Godwin Charles' triple jump also figure to help the Lopes men's four-peat desires.

"Right off, it's going to be Cam, Daviciea, Miguel and Casey," Flood said. "We'll ride their coattails to success. It's an opportunity just for somebody else to step up. and like any given year, all the pieces of the puzzle have to fit at the conference meet."

The Lopes women were the WAC outdoor runner-up last year and are coming off a third-place showing at the WAC indoor meet. Utah Valley's distance excellence has made the Wolverines hard to catch in either season.

The GCU women's event strengths lie in the 400, 800, triple jump and heptathlon.

Purdue transfer, Taliyah Booker, is a 400 standout and anchored the Lopes' indoor championship relay team in the 4x400. That team included French senior Aaliyah Riford-Delem, whose potential shines in the 200 and 400.

Freshman Cassie Small of Guyana was an indoor standout but will sit out the outdoor season.

Senior Alyssa Blockburger, a Tucson native who transferred from USC, also was part of the WAC indoor title relay. She and freshman Alona Haymore, from nearby Queen Creek, could be 800 standouts.

lemaitre burkett

Seniors Taryn Burkett (triple jump) and Lucy George (shot put) won WAC indoor titles and could repeat the feat outdoor, where senior Jazmine Scott gives GCU another outstanding triple jumper.

The heptathlon could score highly for GCU, if what graduate Camdyn Breuner (first) and junior Maliyah Ross (third) based on their pentathlon showings at WAC indoor.

French freshman Nina Thevenin and senior Atena Rayson provide depth in GCU's sprints while Rayson's fellow Jamaican, senior Amanda Thrue, is a scoring threat in the high hurdles and long jump.

"That's a pretty good duo right there," Flood said. "Atena and Amanda are scoring some points."

GCU will use an eight-meet outdoor schedule to prepare for the May 15-17 WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Arlington, Texas.

"We're excited that it's in Arlington, so hopefully we'll get some nice good, warm Texas weather and some nice Texas winds for those," Flood said. "The goal is to get them prepared and ready to peak at the conference level, or more importantly for some of them, two weeks later at the NCAA region meet."