A successful foray off the continent.

The Grand Canyon University Wrestling team brought back a pair of medals from the National Collegiate Wrestling Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico. GCU team captain Daniela Suttles placed second at the event in the 109-pound weight class, and teammate Samantha Tuttle finished in third place at 136 pounds - thanks to a hard-fought win against Ottawa University.

"Daniela has been an integral part of our program and always leads our group in a positive manner," said GCU Head Coach Chris Esquivel. "As a full-time student, athlete, and worker, her work ethic has been an honor to witness."

"Sami missed quite a bit of practice towards the end of the season with a knee injury. She showed immense amounts of resilience and was able to push through for third."

The two were part of an eight-person Lopes' contingent that qualified for the NCWA Championships from their performances at the West Coast Conference Championships in late February. Suttles and Tuttle were joined in San Juan by fellow female Carly Courcier (123 lbs); as well as GCU Men's Wrestlers Jack Barcellona (149 lbs), Jaden Berner (157 lbs), Seanmatthew Garcia (149 lbs), Myles McGary (197 lbs) and Jorge Vargas (235 lbs).

Both Suttles and Tuttle cemented NCWA All-American status for the second time. Suttles also added All-Academic honors to her resume this year.

"This has been an amazing year considering we haven't competed that much," said Esquivel. "Our captains, Myles McGary and Daniela Suttles, have led by example. We have wrestlers who love to show up early and leave late."