Tuesday, May 7, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. - GNAC Insider returned Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. (PDT) with three wide-ranging guests to open the month of May.

Leading off the show was Concordia Vice President & Director of Athletics Lauren Eads. The CU athletic department is currently in the middle of a busy two-week stretch in which it is hosting both the GNAC Softball and Baseball Championships at Porter Park in Portland.

The softball tournament couldn't have gone better for the hosts as the Cavaliers won three games in three days to clinch the first-ever GNAC Championships title in program history. The team will return to the diamond on Thursday afternoon as it faces Concordia-Irvine in the first round of the NCAA Division II West Regional.

Also joining the show was Western Oregon softball head coach Lonny Sargent. Sargent is in his seventh season at the helm in Monmouth.

His club is also headed to West Regional action with an impressive 31-16 (19-9 GNAC) record. The team went on a tear to end the regular season, winning its final six games to earn the No. 2 seed at the GNAC Championships. The trip to the NCAA postseason will be the program's second since he took over. 

Sargent joined the program to talk about the successful season while previewing the upcoming trip to regionals, which begin on Thursday morning against San Francisco State.

Tuesday's show was rounded out by a visit from Alaska Anchorage distance star, Caroline Kurgat. Kurgat will be in Monmouth this weekend to compete in the final GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships of her collegiate career.

The senior has shined throughout the season, most recently winning the women's 800 at the Linfield Invitational on Saturday. Kugat has set multiple records throughout her time in Anchorage and has received four GNAC Women's Track Athlete of the Week awards this year alone.