Monday, March 12, 2018

BILLINGS, Mont. – The GNAC’s Player of the Year has now been selected as the top player in the West as Western Oregon senior forward Tanner Omlid leads three GNAC selections to the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-West Region Team.

Omlid was selected by the region’s sports information directors as the West Region Player of the Year and lone selection for the conference on the first team. He is joined by a pair of second-team selections from the GNAC in Saint Martin’s junior guard Luke Chavez and Western Washington sophomore forward Daulton Hommes. The 10-player team is comprised of players from the GNAC, the California Collegiate Athletic Association and the PacWest Conference.

Omlid has led Western Oregon to a near-perfect 31-1 overall record as the Wolves will play for the NCAA Division II West Region championship on Monday night against Cal Baptist. The hometown product from Monmouth, Ore., is averaging 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC and is among the NCAA Division II leaders in steals (2.7 per game) while also ranking third in the GNAC in blocks (1.8 per game) and ninth in assists (3.3 per game).

Omlid is the second Western Oregon player to be named as the D2CCA West Region Player of the Year in three years. Andy Avgi earned the honor in 2016.

Chavez, selected by conference coaches as the GNAC Newcomer of the Year and to the All-GNAC First Team, led Saint Martin’s to just its second 20-plus win season as a Division II program and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Chavez ended his season ranked sixth in the GNAC with 16 points per game, was third in steals (1.8 per game), fourth in assists (four per game) and seventh in both free throw percentage (.843) and three-pointers made (1.9 per game). Behind Chavez, the Saints finished the season at 25-8 overall.

Hommes, a First Team All-GNAC selection, was the only underclassman named to the team after he led Western Washington a second-place GNAC regular-season finish and a 21-8 overall record. Hommes finished second in the GNAC in scoring at 18.1 points per game while also averaging six rebounds per game. Hommes led the GNAC and was among the Division II leaders in free throw percentage (.879) also finished the season ranked seventh in the GNAC in field goal percentage (.546). He also finished fifth in the league with a .446 three-point percentage.

Omlid will now move on for consideration for the D2CCA All-America Team, which will be announced prior to the Division II Elite Eight on Mar. 19.