Fighting unusually chilly conditions for Lake Havasu in mid-March, Grand Canyon University Club Triathlon sophomore Stephen Garr finished 3^rd at the 2024 Havasu Triathlon - just five minutes off the race champion. Meanwhile, GCU junior Josh Canode posted a top-25 overall finish while Lopes' sophomore Shoshanah Stukas crossed the tape as the 3^rd-best female in the race (which doubles as the 2024 USA Triathlon Collegiate Conference Western Regional Championships), finishing 37^th overall. Despite having the swimming portion shortened to 100 meters due to the frigid temperature of the water, all seven Lopes' participants excelled enough Sunday to qualify for the 2024 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships, which will be held in Mission Viejo, California, next month.
 
A veteran of top-10 finishes, Garr paved new ground with his first top-3 finish in a championship race as a Lope. The shortened swim didn't phase Garr a bit, getting out of the water in 8^th place overall. Garr picked up speed in the cycling portion, moving up to 4^th with a time just over 55 minutes. That set the stage for an impressive run that moved Garr into the top 3 with a total time of one hour, 36 minutes, 46 seconds – missing out on 2^nd place by just 33 seconds.
 

Canode's first Havasu race was a memorable one, since his 24^th-place finish was just three minutes outside of getting into the race's top 20. The Phoenix native excelled on the bike, finishing that portion in just under an hour (59:49) before winding up with an overall time of 1:50:38. Meanwhile, Stukas continued her steady improvement with a finishing time of just under two hours (1:56:09), staying among the top 45 throughout the first two parts of the race before dashing to a time of 38:35, which was the 26^th-best run overall.
 
"The athletes were discouraged by the course change – especially those who are strong in the swim," said Lopes' Head Coach Nick Windauer. "However, our athletes adjusted themselves mentally and treated it like any other race or time trial. Our team pulled off a better result overall than in previous years, and I'm proud of their drive and adaptability in overcoming the changes."
 
In addition to the seven Lopes' student-athletes, Lopes' Assistant Coach Matt Johnson also participated, finishing just two minutes behind Stukas and finishing 40^th overall with a time of 1:58:45.
 
The Lopes' full results from the Havasu Triathlon are below:

NAME	TIME	OVERALL FINISH	DIVISION	M/F FINISH
Stephen Garr	1:36:46	3rd	Collegiate Male	3rd
Josh Canode	1:50:38	24th	Collegiate Male	23rd
Shoshanah Stukas	1:56:09	37th	Collegiate Female	3rd
Lindsey Philips	2:20:53	81st	Collegiate Female	24th
Andrea Loos	2:28:21	90th	Collegiate Female	31st
Aidan Perales	2:32:05	93rd	Collegiate Male	61st
Paige Muller	2:33:18	94th	Collegiate Female	33rd
Matthew Johnson (Asst. Coach)	1:58:45	40th	Collegiate Male	37th