The future is bright.
 
The future is also NOW.
 
While GCU graduate student Samantha Tuttle's triumphant return to the nationals mat made a big contribution, it was the underclassmen for the Grand Canyon University Club Wrestling team who helped the squad turn in one of the finest performances in program history at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships at the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City, Louisiana. The Lopes' effort produced one All-American – sophomore phenom Marisol Pena – as well as three freshmen that came within a victory of joining Pena at that plateau. In addition, the GCU Women's team scored 42.5 points alone to finish 11^th out of 45 teams. It marked GCU's fifth straight trip to the national event.
 
"Yes, they're young, but I knew they were capable, since this team works incredibly hard and truly supports one another," said Lopes' Head Coach Austen Moore. "We had our entire women's team reach the "blood round" - the critical match that determines All-American status - which is a massive achievement considering most teams only get a select few there. On the men's side, more wrestlers reached the "blood round" than we've seen in years."
 
A "blood round" win elevates a wrestler to an All-American and the knowledge they'll be somewhere on the awards podium at the end. The Lopes' Women all got there, with Pena getting one step further with a third-place finish in the 124-pound weight class, improving on her 5^th-place showing as a freshman a year ago. The Tucson native sealed her All-American status with a pin of Tarleton State University's Isabel Rodriguez in the third-place match. Tuttle (180 lbs) and junior Mya Rashed (138 lbs) also competed with distinction, each going 2-2 at the tournament. Tuttle, a multiple-time All-American, won her matches by technical fall and pin, while Rashed notched victories by major decision and pin.
 
"Marisol has been a leader since Day 1 - showing the world what it takes to be a good person, athlete and Christian through her actions," said Moore. "She has a great supporting staff back home from her family to her coaches in Tucson who've prepared her to be who she is today, a role model. I couldn't be more proud of Sami, since she won several major matches against nationally ranked opponents throughout the season, but her true impact was in the room. She took our younger women under her wing, guiding them through the season and demonstrating the exact mindset and work ethic required to be a champion."
 
The men's side delivered an equally impressive showing, led by a pair of third-place finishes. Freshman Alex Serrano (141 lbs) went 4-2 at the prestigious double-elimination tournament, earning All-American honors with a dominant 16-0 technical fall over Grand Valley State University's Jacob Batha in the Consolation of 16 before falling to Liberty's Gordon Watson by decision in the Consolation of 8. Serrano had earlier won by major decision over UBC's Heath Yee Fung (14-2) and by decision over Washington State's Anthony Zanders (9-6) and by fall over Texas A&M's Tyler Villarreal to work his way through the consolation bracket.
Also finishing third was fellow freshman Che Ramirez (125 lbs), who went 3-2 at nationals. After a technical fall loss to Ferrum's Ezekiel Keel in the Round of 16, Ramirez rebounded with back-to-back pins — dropping Penn State's Andrew McFarlane at 3:44 and Washington's Vinh Nguyen at 1:59 — before dropping his final bout to Tarleton State's Noah Clayton by fall at 3:40.
 
Rounding out the All-American contingent was freshman Quincy Corpuz (125 lbs), who put together the longest win streak of any Lope at the tournament, rattling off five consecutive victories before falling by decision to Ohio State's Dominic Ciolli (7-4) in the Consolation of 8 to finish fifth. Corpuz's run included a technical fall over MSU's Braddock King (19-4) to open the tournament, another technical fall over UCLA's Crisanthony Flores-Ramos (19-4), a technical fall over ECU's Bryson Gresham (16-0), and consecutive decisions over STCC's Marlon Andino (4-1) and Tarleton State's Kevin Contreras (1-0).
 
"The young men on this team balance having fun with intense, disciplined work," said Moore. "They entered the season with an expectation of success because they knew they had put in the work required to compete at a high level. Seeing several freshmen reach the blood round for the first time in years was a major highlight. In fact, other coaches at the national championships reached out to ask about our training approach, specifically noting our significant improvement. It was great to have that success recognized by our peers.
 
"The future is bright, not just because of their talent, but because these young men and women have embraced the concept of a 'family' and a home away from home. They've built bonds that will last a lifetime, and it shows: our women wrestlers are the loudest cheerleaders for the men, and the men are the loudest for the women. They are a team - on and off the mat."