Lopes secure pair of top-5 finishes at Cougar Challenge

Saturday, October 3

San Marcos, Calif.

Grand Canyon

Cougar Challenge

Men's Results Women's Results

Photo by: Josh Cale

Lopes secure pair of top-5 finishes at Cougar Challenge

10/3/2026 11:08:00 AM | Cross Country

Velazquez scored 1st top-10 finish for GCU on the season

By: Tyler Killgore

SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Grand Canyon cross country turned in a strong showing at the Cougar Challenge on Saturday morning, highlighted by the women's team's second-place finish and sophomore Isabella Velazquez earning the Lopes' first women's top-10 individual finish of the season.

Velazquez led GCU in the 6K race with a sixth-place finish, crossing the line in 21 minutes, 28.2 seconds. It marked the third consecutive meet in which Velazquez was in the Lopes' top five finishers.

"It feels really good to get some reassurance from all the hard work I have been able to put in with my amazing team," Velazquez said. "It would be impossible for me to where I am without the support and love from my teammates and coach."

Behind Velazquez, GCU packed four more runners into the top 17 to finish with 55 points and take second place as a team.

Lopes junior Meredith Richter was the team's second finisher in 22:03.4 to take 14th overall. Junior teammate Grace Scott followed just over three seconds later in 22:06.6 for 15th.

Freshman Irelyn Kennedy continued the tight GCU grouping with a 16th-place finish in 22:09.4, while sophomore Avanti Wadhwa rounded out the Lopes' top five just six-tenths of a second later at 22:10.0 to finish 17th.

GCU placed all five of its scoring runners among the race's top 17, with the Lopes' second through fifth finishers separated by only 6.6 seconds.

On the men's side, freshman Micah Newkirk paced GCU in the 8K race with an 18th-place finish in a time of 25:17.5.

Junior Alex Saldamando finished close behind in 25:25.9 to place 21st, while junior Jack Sindt was the third Lope across the line at 25:34.3 for 26th.

Senior Tristen Coyle finished 36th in 25:46.3, giving GCU four runners among the top 36. Freshman Trent Gabrielson completed the Lopes' scoring five with a time of 26:29.2 to place 48th.

The GCU men totaled 116 points to finish fifth.

The Lopes will take the week off from competition before heading back to Riverside, California, on Oct. 17 for the second time this season.