Lopes build momentum pff Tucson meet

TUCSON, Ariz. — Grand Canyon cross country turned in a strong showing in the Dave Murray Invitational at Tucson Country Club, where the men's team placed second and the women's team finished third on Saturday.

The Lopes' men defeated UTEP, New Mexico State and Arizona State, finishing just behind host Arizona in the 8k race.

Sophomore Michael Archie led GCU with a sixth-place finish, crossing in 24 minutes, 51.1 seconds.

"We wanted to get out there and just be able to control the race." said Archie, who is coming off a course record and first-place finish in the Biola Invitational two weeks ago.

GCU junior Ethan Smith (24:54.4), senior Greyson Akers (25:19.2), junior Tristen Coyle (25:27.2) and freshman Archie Budding (25:31.2) rounded out the Lopes' scoring five to lock in the runner-up finish.

Coyle, who is from Peoria, Arizona, emphasized the importance of the team game plan.

"We had a great game plan to get out and try to control the race," Coyle said. "I think we did that pretty well and really raced well."

On the women's side, GCU placed third in the 6k race, topping UTEP and Arizona State while trailing only New Mexico State and Arizona.

Sophomore Selah Akers stood out for the Lopes, having her best finish this season with a 10th-place finish and a time of 22:57.5.

"It felt really good," Akers said. "it was a really stressful week going into this meet, so trusting in God and seeing it was His plan was most important."

The Lopes averaged a time of 23:34 with a 6:20 pace per mile. Akers paced the group, followed by freshman Isabella Velazquez (23:25.8), sophomore Taylor Hansen (23:30.7), freshman June Zimmerman (23:39.9) and freshman Stella Hall (24:14.0) to secure the team's third-place result.

Hansen credited the women's podium finish to their mindset going into this meet.

"We had a stronger together mentality," Hansen said. "All of us wanted to push together and work together, so I think we definitely were able to achieve that."

The meet added another step of progress for both squads as they build momentum with one remaining meet (UCR Inviational on Oct. 18) before the Mountain West Championships on Oct. 31 in Fresno, California.

"We took a lot away from today's race, and I'm excited about what's ahead," GCU head coach Shayla Houlihan said. :The next three weeks of training will be a crucial block for us to continue building on this momentum."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Greyson Akers

Selah Akers

Michael Archie

Archie Budding

Tristen Coyle

Stella Hall

Taylor Hansen

Ethan Smith

Isabella Velazquez

June Zimmerman

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