Tuesday, November 3, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – Episode 73 of GNAC Insider aired Tuesday night at 7 p.m. PT. Joining the program was Western Oregon head cross country coach Mike Johnson, Central Washington volleyball outside hitter Kiah Jones and Western Washington women’s soccer forward Catherine Miles.

Johnson is in his 12th year as head cross country and track and field coach at Western Oregon. Johnson has led three cross country teams to the NCAA Cross Country Championships and 15 teams to championships at the GNAC indoor and outdoor track and field championships. This Saturday, Western Oregon hosts the NCAA Division II West Regionals on the Ash Creek Preserve course on the edge of campus. Teams from the GNAC, the California Collegiate Athletic Association, and the PacWest conference will compete for their chance at reaching the national championships. Johnson’s Wolves finished in fourth place at the GNAC Cross Country Championships on the men's side and sixth place on the women’s side.

Jones is a junior outside hitter for the Central Washington volleyball team that is tied for first place in the GNAC with a 12-2 conference record. The Wildcats are ranked No. 25 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Top-25 Poll. Jones is second on the team in kills (203) and kills per set (2.51) and has a .230 hitting percentage. She has played in all but one of the team’s sets this season. As a sophomore, she stepped in for the team and was selected Honorable Mention All-GNAC. The Wildcats play six more regular season matches and will be on the road at Alaska Anchorage and Alaska this week.

Miles is a senior forward for the Western Washington women’s soccer team. She is second in the GNAC in both points (24) and goals (10) and led the Vikings to an 11-0-1 conference record and to the GNAC regular season title. The Vikings will be the No. 1 seed at the GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships beginning on Thurs., Nov. 5 in Burnaby, B.C. The Vikings are also ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division II West Region Polls, giving the team a strong chance to make the national tournament. Miles was a unanimous selection to the First Team All-GNAC last season as a junior and was on the Second Team All-West Region. She was also named the GNAC’s Offensive Player of the Week this past week with three goals in two matches.

GNAC Insider is hosted by Rob Lowery airing live at 7 p.m. Pacific every Tuesday and is produced by the conference office. All episodes become available as free podcasts via iTunes. To listen to archived episodes go to GNAC.TV.