Rosters, competition step up for cross country

Just this month, Shayla Houlihan's second year as Grand Canyon cross country head coach began.

Just last weekend, GCU official workouts began for a season that starts Saturday at the George Kyte Invitational in Flagstaff.

In between, the Lopes moved even faster by leveling up in conference competition with a move to the Mountain West and by strengthening her rosters with 13 newcomers – six of 11 for the men and seven of nine for the women.

Shayla Houlihan

"It's entering something that is another level of toughness, but we're up for the challenge and hopefully we can land somewhere in the middle of that pack," said Houlihan, whose teams have four regular-season meets to prepare for their first Mountain West Championships on Oct. 31 in Fresno, California. "We can still compete. We just have to keep building toward that, and that's what we're doing."

The program's culture shift showed before the first workouts with the Lopes initiating contact this summer with Houlihan to share how they were racking up the miles of individual offseason programs that she had laid out for them.

To take on the task of the Mountain West having most of the region's top cross country programs, the GCU men return almost every top runner from last season to join key additions.

"The men's side is going to be interesting because I don't know what's going to happen," said Houlihan, referring to the team's improved depth. "It's going to mix and match."

Senior Greyson Akers, a Mesa Red Mountain High School graduate, and junior Ethan Smith of Simi Valley, California, are the Lopes' top returning finishers from last season's WAC Championships. Senior Mac Eliason, currently injured, also is a top returnee from a team that had a strong freshman class featuring Jack Sindt of Loomis, California, and 2024-25 mid-year transfer Michael Archie.

Sindt finished sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Under-20 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he recorded a time of 9 minutes, 13 seconds in June at Oregon's Hayward Field.

"All the way through the middle of the summer, he was still racing and competing really well," Houlihan said. "He basically had a down week and then from there started building up. His aerobic capacity has gotten so much better."

Archie ran with GCU in the spring, but this will be the Humble, Texas, native's first Lopes cross country season.

"Michael Archie has been training at another level this summer," Houlihan said of the Houston transfer.

Jagger Zlotoff, a Highland High School graduate in crosstown Gilbert, transferred from Colorado-Colorado Springs after taking 10th in the 1,500 at Division II outdoor nationals and fifth in the D-II indoor mile.

"He was really competitive in that division, and he should be an immediate impact person," Houlihan said. "We're just slowly bringing him along. He'll be ready to rock and roll by the end of the season."

GCU also added freshman Archie Budding from England, where he posted summer times of 3:50 in the 1,500 and 9:18 in the steeplechase this summer.

That ability to recruit to the Valley's ideal weather for most of the school year helped to also expand the women's roster, which only had seven student-athletes last year and lost three of them.

Sophomores Eva Johnson of Pine City, Minnesota, and Selah Akers, the younger sister of Greyson are the women's team's top returning finishers from last year's WAC Championships. Taylor Hansen of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Madelyn Palmer, a Sunrise Mountain High graduate of nearby Peoria, form the returning group to help along three transfers and four freshmen.

"The returners have done a really good job of bringing in the new people," Houlihan said. "That foundation was really strong coming into this year with what the expectation was. I've had conversations with the returnees about how this is a good team and everyone is bought in, really wanting to perform at a high level with an understanding of what this is."

The Lopes' top addition may be Tarleton State transfer Morgan Lamberson, a senior from Farmersville, Texas, who missed most of the past two seasons for injuries.

"Morgan definitely has a lot of different attributes that are conducive to building up our program again," Houlihan said.

GCU also brought in junior Madison Haldiman from Arkansas State after she posted a time of 17:30 in an indoor 5K race last season. Sophomore Grace Scott, a native of Newcastle, California, arrives from San Jose State.

"Grace knows what it takes to be good and be part of a program that is cross country-focused," Houlihan said. "She brings a lot of leadership with that, which was something I was looking for in transfers."

The freshman class is highlighted by June Zimmerman, an Orem, Utah, native who was drawn away from several Utah programs to GCU.

"She's a pretty good prospect," Houlihan said. "She's a pretty low mileage right now, so it's going to be a slower build-up. It will be with all the freshmen."

The freshman class also had a local flavor with additions from Canyon View High (Isabella Velazquez) in the West Valley and Hamilton High (Carina Trujillo) and Highland High (Stella Hall) in the East Valley.

"We definitely built on the culture from last year, and we're really continuing to cultivate that close-knit feel," Houlihan said. "Last year, I was a lot more involved with team things, almost like a part of the team. Now, I'm able to take a step back and be more in a coaching role."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Greyson Akers

Selah Akers

Michael Archie

Archie Budding

Mac Eliason

Madison Haldiman

Stella Hall

Taylor Hansen

Eva Johnson

Morgan Lamberson

Madelyn Palmer

Grace Scott

Jack Sindt

Ethan Smith

Carina Trujillo

Isabella Velazquez

June Zimmerman

Jagger Zlotoff

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