Tuesday, March 8, 2016
PORTLAND, Ore. – GNAC Insider will air its 86th episode on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Pacific time. The show featured Northwest Nazarene heptathlete Payton Lewis, Western Oregon forward Tanner Omlid and Montana State Billings head women’s basketball coach Kevin Woodin.
Lewis is a sophomore heptathlete for the Northwest Nazarene track and field team. He was named the Male Athlete of the Meet at the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships after winning the individual titles in the heptathlon and the pole vault. He ranks sixth in Division II in the pole vault and 12th in the heptathlon, as he will compete in both at the NCAA Div. II Indoor Track and Field Championships this week, starting on Mar. 11 in Pittsburg, Kan. Lewis is already a two-time All-American, making his third trip to nationals in just his second year. Lewis spoke about becoming an All-American, his goals for nationals and his choice to stay home in Nampa to attend school
Omlid is a sophomore forward/guard for the Western Oregon men’s basketball team. He returned to his hometown of Monmouth, Ore., this season after spending two years at Army. In his first season with the Wolves, he has helped lead them to the GNAC regular season title and their first title at the GNAC Championships. Western Oregon will also host the NCAA Div. II West Regionals this week for the first time in program history, welcoming seven other West Region teams to compete in the first three rounds of the national tournament. Omlid ranks tied for first in the GNAC in steals per game (2.3), fourth in field goal percentage (.555), sixth in offensive rebounds per game (2.1), and 10th in blocked shots per game (0.9). Omlid spoke about Western Oregon's conference title, hosting the West Regionals and returning home after two years at Army.
Woodin is in his 12th season as head women’s basketball coach at Montana State Billings, leading the Yellowjackets to the NCAA Div. II Women’s Basketball Championships this week. After finishing third in the GNAC regular season and second at the GNAC Championships, the Yellowjackets earned the No. 8 seed for the West Regional. They travel to Azusa, Calif., to play host Azusa Pacific on Fri., Mar. 11. Montana State Billings has reached the postseason in 10 of 12 seasons under Woodin, who was named the GNAC Coach of the Year this season. Woodin spoke about getting into the national tournament, receiving the GNAC Coach of the Year award and the Yellowjackets chances heading to Azusa.
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.