The Start of an Era
Grand Canyon University was granted membership into Division 1 status today. The Lopes had a 4-year probation period, where 21 varsity sports were unable to compete for a postseason championship through the NCAA. The Lopes play in the WAC for all sports, their most popular being basketball.
The Dan Majerle led Lopes will look for their first bid into the NCAA tournament this season as the WAC gets an automatic bid to the Big Dance. The University did a great job of expanding athletic facilities, and recruiting for this very moment. A big reason commits come to Phoenix is to be apart of something fresh and under the radar. These players will have a good shot at winning the Western Athletic Conference and advancing to the Big Dance.
Other Sports to Keep an Eye On
Baseball
The baseball program has been solid, going 86-75-1 in the last 3 years. A new stadium, as well as a healthy amount of recruits, look for the program to be ready to hit the ground running. There are a ton of retuning players, and a lot of young players that could mesh to create a special team.
Softball
The Women’s Softball team has won 36 and 35 games the past two years. Again, a lot of returning starters, and a number of young players looking to make a difference. The softball program has been consistently good, and I would not expect them to slow down either.
Men’s Volleyball
The Men’s Volleyball team has been impressive as well the past two seasons going 19-11 last year, and 17-12 in 2016. There was a strong senior presence, so that will hurt, but look for the Men’s Volleyball squad to make some noise in Division 1.
Grand Canyon has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Being able to say that your season counts towards something is all the university has wanted, and now they get it. Will they be up for the challenge?