PHX Reporter

The Grand Canyon University's track and field team participated in the Texas Relays in Austin and the Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos over the weekend. The team sent 27 athletes to compete in these events.

At the Texas Relays, which featured over 4,700 athletes, weather conditions posed challenges due to rain. GCU head coach Tom Flood commented, "We had a lot of good early-season performances in Texas, especially with the rainy, adverse conditions on the first couple of days."

In San Marcos, GCU athletes Taliyah Booker and Aaliyah Rifort-Delem achieved impressive results in their runs, clocking 24.07- and 24.20-second times, respectively. Coach Flood remarked, "I thought that both Taliyah Booker and Aaliyah Rifort-Delem got us started off quickly on Thursday evening with a couple of nice 200 meters at Texas State."

In Austin, performances continued with Alyssa Blockburger and Daviciea McCartney showing commendable results. Flood noted, "Both Alyssa Blockburger (800 meters) and Daviciea McCartney (400-meter hurdles) also had a couple of nice performances in the rain on Thursday night at the Texas Relays." McCartney qualified for the 400 hurdles final but opted out of participation due to multiple events.

Blockburger finished 12th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:09.61, while McCartney marked 51.23 in the 400-meter hurdles. The men's and women's 4x400 meter relay teams advanced to Saturday's finals, with the men's team coming in third overall and setting a school record with a time of 3:06.73. The team comprised Ben Stratman, Cam Wilmington, Miguel Rosario III, and Joshua Gittens, surpassing the previous record set in 2023.

The team looks forward to their next competition. "We will get back at it again this Friday at a special five-way meet at Long Beach State with perennial track and field powerhouse teams Oregon (2025 NCAA women's indoor national champions), USC (2025 NCAA men's indoor national champions) and LSU (25 national titles)," Flood said. "We are truly grateful and honored to be included to compete against the nation's best track & field programs, we will definitely be living life in the fast lane."

The Battle of the Beach meet is scheduled for Friday, starting at 10 a.m.