Georgetown, Cayman Islands – The Grand Canyon University Powerlifting team once again made its mark on the international stage - this time under the Caribbean sun.

The Lopes traveled to Georgetown, Grand Cayman, to compete in the North American Powerlifting Federation 3rd Pan American University Cup. All eight Lopes' athletes turned in top 3 finishes, with multiple lifters setting records.

"Overall, I was very impressed with the entire team performance. Competing on an international stage brings an entirely new experience as well as new challenges," said GCU Head Coach Dawson Aaron. "Seeing that our athletes were still able to compete at a high level shows the dedication and discipline that they had training by themselves over the summer."

Headlined by Lopes' sophomore Holly Wilson, who lifted 355kg total en route to Best Overall University Female Lifter honors, GCU posted five 1^st-place finishes: Isabella Bilyeu (277.5kg), Marcelo Chanaba (527.5kg), Emma Hagen (362.5kg), Addison Morrison (262.5kg).

The Lopes' other three lifters also placed in the top 3, including a 2^nd-place finish from Aaron (715kg); and a pair of 3^rd-place finishes from Efren Benavides (472.5kg) and Fernando Cortes (605kg).

"It was awesome to see everyone bring home a medal at an event as large as this," said Aaron. "Holly had an exceptional performance. I've been working with her for just under a year and she's one of my favorite athletes to coach because of how hardworking and open to feedback she is. I'm excited to see where lifting takes over the next three years."

This marks the second summer in a row that the team has competed internationally after Aaron and GCU's Faith Anderson traveled to Tartu, Estonia, for the 2024 International University Sports Federation Cup. This summer the team was scheduled to travel to Istanbul, Turkey for IPF World's, though the Powerlifting America Executive Committee decided to withdraw all US universities three days prior to travel dates.

"Obviously we were looking forward to competing at [IPF] World's in Turkey this summer, so the last-minute change was discouraging for our athletes," said Aaron. "We're very grateful that Powerlifting America was able to compromise and give our athletes a chance to still compete internationally."