Monday, January 25, 2016

PORTLAND, Ore. – GNAC Insider aired its 80th episode this Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Pacific time. Appearing on the show was Alaska Anchorage guard Jenna Buchanan, Concordia thrower Jessica Mattos and Seattle Pacific guard Bryce Leavitt.

Buchanan is a senior guard for the No. 1 ranked Alaska Anchorage women’s basketball team. She is second on the team and seventh in the GNAC, averaging 13.3 points per game. Buchanan is one of the most dangerous three-point shooters in the conference, shooting 45.8 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 3.1 three pointers a game. This season, she became the Seawolves all-time leading three-point shooter. Buchanan has helped lead Alaska Anchorage to a 9-1 conference record, 22-1 overall and a current 10-game winning streak. The Seawolves will be on the road at Alaska on Tuesday night and at Montana State Billings on Saturday in a potential game for first place in the conference. Buchanan spoke about the Seawolves being ranked No. 1 in Division II, the team's continued success this season and becoming the UAA all-time three-point scorer.

Mattos is a senior thrower for the Concordia track and field team. In Concordia’s first competition as a member of the GNAC at the UW Indoor Preview, Mattos entered the record books with the fourth farthest toss 54-5 1/4 (16.59m) in the weight throw. In 2014, she was named a NAIA All-American after placing fifth in the discus. The Cavaliers will compete at the UW Invitational this next weekend, followed by the Portland Indoor Invitational and the Husky Classic. They then attend their first GNAC Indoor Championships on Feb. 19 in Boise, Idaho. Mattos spoke about the transition to Division II, competing against Division I athletes in the first two meets of the season and entering the GNAC record books at the UW Indoor Preview.

Leavitt is a senior guard for the Seattle Pacific men’s basketball team. He averages 10 points per game while leading the team and ranked fifth in the GNAC with 7.1 rebounds per contest. Leavitt also averages 4.9 assists per game, good for third in the conference. The senior leads the team in minutes, playing for the top ranked defense in the GNAC, allowing just 63.8 points per game. The Falcons are 7-3 in conference, 14-4 overall and are on the second longest current winning streak at five games. The team is on the road this week, facing two of the conference’s best in Alaska and Alaska Anchorage. The Falcons enter the week tied with the Nanooks for third place and two games back of the Seawolves. Leavitt spoke about leading the team in rebounds as a guard, his journey to Seattle Pacific and the team's upcoming games in Alaska.

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.