GNAC Sports

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Hannan

The Great Northwest Athletic Conference, which is in its ninth season of athletic competition, is comprised of nine NCAA Division II schools. With the addition of Simon Fraser University, which begins play in the 2010-11 season, the conference will return to its original membership number of 10.

Richard Hannan, who previously served terms as the athletic director at Southwest Texas State University, Weber State University and at Lewis-Clark State College, serves as the Commissioner for the GNAC. He also previously coached basketball at Lewis-Clark State College.

The current nine schools are located in five different states, including four in the state of Washington - Central Washington University, Saint Martin's University, Seattle Pacific University and Western Washington University. Simon Fraser will become the first Canadian member of the GNAC – and the NCAA.

The GNAC, which was officially founded on July 1, 2001, originally had 10 members including the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Northwest Nazarene University (Idaho) and Western Oregon University along with the four Washington schools.

Humboldt State University (Calif.) and Seattle University were also charter members of the conference but left following the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons, respectively. Montana State Billings joined the GNAC on July 1, 2007.

Prior to the formation of the GNAC, all the current and past members were at one time members of the PacWest Conference, including Simon Fraser.

Four of the schools in the conference - Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific – were charter members of the PacWest, which was created in May, 1992 with the merger of the Great Northwest Conference and the Continental Divide Conference.

Central Washington, Saint Martin's, Western Oregon and Western Washington joined the PacWest prior to the 1998-99 season. Northwest Nazarene joined the PacWest for the 1999-2000 season.

Simon Fraser was also a PacWest member for one season (1998-99) before its bid for NCAA membership was rejected by the national organization.

Central Washington, Saint Martin's. Simon Fraser and Western Washington were previously members of the Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference, while Western Oregon and Northwest Nazarene were members of the Cascade Conference before joining the PacWest.

The GNAC sponsors championships in eight men's and seven women's sports, including football, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, baseball, men's golf, softball, men's and women's indoor track-and-field and men's and women's outdoor track-and-field. Humboldt State and Dixie State are currently affiliate members of the GNAC for football.