An all-time run.
The Grand Canyon University Women's Bowling program cracked a top three for just the second time ever at the Collegiate Club National Championships in Anderson, Indiana, this weekend - thanks to a stellar run through the contenders' bracket from the team with the lowest seed going into the 11-team field. The other top-3 finish in Lopes' history also came from the women back in 2018. The GCU Men's Bowling team couldn't quite match the success of the women's team with a surprisingly early exit in match play.
Led by GCU junior Ashley Fairbanks, the Lady Lopes made an incredible run through the double elimination bracket where they eventually lost to the Rochester Institute of Technology, securing the third-place finish. Fairbanks was named to the all-tournament team.
"It was a really solid team performance from our women," said GCU Bowling Head Coach Ben Canfield. "Once we got to the double-elimination bracket, we adjusted to the lane conditions and dialed in our play."
The Lopes' men finished third in pool play to start the weekend but lost their first winner's bracket match to the University of Cincinnati, sending GCU to the contenders' bracket. The Lopes defeated Penn State University-Berks, then were officially eliminated by defending Intercollegiate Team Championships national titleists University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Lopes finished the weekend tied for 13th.
"We struggled on the fresh lane conditions and created an uphill battle for ourselves by losing our first match in the winner's bracket," said Canfield.
The Lopes now look to the summer to regroup and prepare for the competitive season in the fall.
"We're grateful for another year on the lanes and we're looking forward to coming back stronger," said Canfield. "Big thanks to our seniors for their dedication to the team. You will all be missed."
