Tuesday, April 17, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the GNAC Golf Championships around the corner, GNAC Insider returned Tuesday night and featured a pair of golf veterans along with a recently-appointed interim athletic director.

Alaska interim athletic director Kayne Gutierrez kicked off the program discussing renovation plans for the Nanooks’ Patty Center while Simon Fraser senior golfer Michelle Waters and Western Washington head men’s golf coach Luke Bennett previewed next week’s conference golf tournament. The show was hosted by Rob Lowery.

Formally the assistant athletic director for compliance at Alaska, Gutierrez was appointed the interim role on Jan. 23 following the departure of long-time athletic director Gary Gray. Gutierrez will touch upon the Nanooks’ plans to renovate its basketball gymnasium, the Patty Center, and will talk about the school’s national search for head coaching vacancies in their men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey programs.

Set to appear in her fourth GNAC Championships next week, Waters is one of two Simon Fraser players to have played in all nine tournaments this season. She has been consistent all year, ranking fifth in the GNAC with a 79.3 stroke average while achieving two top-10 finishes. Waters leads a Simon Fraser team that has won the previous two GNAC Championships and is ranked No. 13 in the NCAA Division II West Region Poll. The Clan also lead the GNAC with a 313.3 stroke average.

Bennett has found a great deal of success in his five years as the Vikings’ head coach. During his tenure, Bennett has led Western Washington to numerous regional berths and has claimed two GNAC Coach of the Year awards. Western Washington, the two-time defending GNAC champions, claimed last year’s conference title by one stroke over second-place Simon Fraser. As a team, the Vikings have achieved five top-5 finishes this year and have four players ranked within the GNAC’s top-10 in terms of stroke average. Entering this week, Western Washington is ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division II West Region Rankings.