Lopes compete in 1st MW Championships

Friday, October 31

Fresno, Calif. / Woodward Park

9 a.m.

Grand Canyon

MW Championships

10/31/2025 3:06:00 PM | Cross Country

Archie, Scott lead way for Lopes as men gain momentum going into regionals

By: Tyler Killgore

FRESNO, Calif. — The Grand Canyon men's cross country team took seventh place, while the women's took 10th in the Lopes' first participation at Mountain West Championships.

"The men's team didn't quite hit the mark today, but we've built strong momentum all season long and won't let one off day derail us as we head into the postseason," Lopes head coach Shayla Houlihan said.

GCU sophomore Michael Archie, the Lopes' top finisher, ran a time of 23 minutes, 58.8 seconds and placed 31st out of 91 runners.

Jagger Zlotoff, the graduate student from Colorado Springs, Colorado, finished with his best placement on the season, being the second finisher for the Lopes.

"Jagger Zlottoff was a bright spot," Houlihan said. "He's worked his way back from an early-season injury with patience and discipline. He's coming on strong at the perfect time, and I am excited to see him take on the 10k in two weeks."

Zlotoff finished in 24:31.3, placing 48th for his best finish this season.

Rounding out GCU's top five on the men's side was junior Ethan Smith (24:43.9), junior Tristen Coyle (24:49.0) and senior Greyson Akers (24:52.1). The trio finished in the 55th, 56th and 57th spots in the meet.

At the conclusion of the men's race, the women's 6k race was held.

"We are a very young and developing squad," Houlihan said. "I am extremely proud of the courage they showed on the line today."

Lopes sophomore Grace Scott was the first finisher for GCU, finishing in 22:02.0. Scott received high praise from her coach:

"Grace delivered a standout performance," Houlihan said. "She leaned on her familiarity with this course from high school and executed with maturity and poise."

Lopes freshman duo June Zimmerman and Stella Hall then finished back-to-back as the next GCU finishers, with Zimmerman taking the 81st spot (23:35.2) and Hall taking the 82nd (22:37.5).

Lopes sophomore Selah Akers continued her strong season being the fourth to cross the finish line for the team, finishing in 22:51.0.

Rounding out GCU lineup was freshman Carina Trujillo, finishing in 23:14.1.

The men's team will be bringing individuals to the NCAA regionals in a couple weeks.

"My teams have historically thrived at that distance (10k), so we're eager and confident heading into NCAA regionals," Houlihan said.