Second event on the calendar. Ever.
 
And what an event it was.
 
Building up to the moment for nearly two years, the Grand Canyon University Gymnastics Club sent five individuals to the 2023 National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs National Championships in Memphis, Tennessee, and came away with a top-3 finish from 2^nd-year Lopes' Student Head Coach Ethan Daharsh in the men's parallel bars. In addition, Lopes' sophomore Julia Butler finished in a tie for 9^th place on the women's balance beam while also making the top 50 of the Women's All-Around in the team's first-ever foray at the national tournament.
 
"I am really happy with how the team performed." said Daharsh. "We went to this huge national event and represented GCU by really making history in our first year there. We now have officially declared that GCU has a gymnastics club worthy of competing on the national level."
 
The trip was especially sweet for Daharsh – on several levels. The Lopes' junior helped build the program from the ground up two summers ago, and while he had held a trip to nationals as his gold standard for the squad, he wasn't sure the team would be ready for this year. He saw things take off during their practices at Aspire Gym in Chandler early in the spring semester, though, and realized that they could compete with the best in the Volunteer State. Once the meet started, Daharsh officially led by example, coming out of nowhere to finish 3^rd overall in the parallel bars with a final routine that scored 13.1 out of a possible 13.5. Daharsh even raised his overall average to 12.85 by sticking it in the finals.
 
"I didn't have many expectations, since I was happy to make to the final in the first place," said Daharsh. "As soon as I saluted before the finals routine, though, I did that first skill, and it felt perfect. After that, I was in the zone, showing off as best I could. There were all these other great athletes, but once I got to the finals, I realized that there must be a reason why I'm here with them."

Like Daharsh, who also competed in the floor exercise, the other four Lopes competed in multiple events in the prelims. On the men's side, Lopes' freshman Kyle Parica participated in pommel horse, vault and floor; and for the women, Lopes' junior Michelle Johnson and Lopes' freshman Ashlyn Williams also juggled three events each: vault, balance beam and floor exercise. Meanwhile, Butler came out of the prelims in 3^rd on the parallel bars, but made the finals in two events, leading in the balance beam after Day 1, and reaching the finals in the all-around competition with a high average of 37.225. On Sunday, Butler scored a 9.0 on the beam to finish in a logjam for 9^th place; then scored a 36.4 in the all-around to place 48^th overall. 
 
"Julia just killed it in Day 1," said Daharsh. "From the start, the energy was up, and you could tell that the meet was going to be a good one. We went through warmups, and the girls were feeling good. What it came down to was just staying consistent with what we have done in practice all year and executing."
 
For a team that had just one previous meet (the Sun Devil Classic in Tempe in January) before the Tennessee trip, Daharsh couldn't have asked for a better weekend – on and off the mat.
 
"Regardless of performance, it really brought the team together," said Daharsh. "We explored Memphis a bit, and we got to be part of the entire gymnastics' community. We have our foot in the door, and now we just have to walk through it, increase our numbers, and continue to show that we are a club that's here to stay and grow at GCU."