Monday, October 31, 2016
PORTLAND – Western Oregon alum and the San Diego Chargers’ leader in receiving yards, Tyrell Williams, joined GNAC Insider live on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. (Pacific) along with Simon Fraser athletic director Theresa Hanson and Montana State Billings cross country head coach David Coppock.
Williams played at Western Oregon from 2011 to 2014 and is the football program’s all-time leader in receptions. In 2015, the Chargers signed Williams as an undrafted free agent and was promoted to the active roster on Nov. 21. In the 2015 season finale, Williams caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers against the Denver Broncos. This year, Williams has been one of Rivers’ favorite targets as the Chargers quarterback has targeted the WOU alum 53 times for 32 receptions, 530 yards and two touchdowns. San Diego will host the Tennessee Titans this week at 1:25 p.m. (Pacific) on CBS.
Last week, Hanson completed her first year as the Simon Fraser senior director of athletics and recreation and the Simon Fraser soccer teams gave her something more to celebrate. On Saturday, the women’s soccer team clinched its first ever berth into the GNAC Championships, and hours later the men’s soccer team secured its fifth GNAC title since joining the conference in 2010. Simon Fraser is the only international university in the NCAA and Hanson played a key role in lobbying for Canadian participation in the NCAA while the athletic director at University of British Columbia. This weekend, Simon Fraser will host the GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships for a second year in a row.
Coppock is in his 28th year as the cross country head coach at Montana State Billings. He is also in his eighth year as the Yellowjackets’ track & field head coach after MSUB reintroduced the sport in 2009. This year at the GNAC Championships, Coppock’s men’s cross country team took fifth place, which included both Garrett Love and Jorey Egeland finishing in the top 20. On Saturday, MSUB will host the NCAA West Regional for the second time. The race will feature the top teams from the PacWest, CCAA and GNAC, competing to earn spots at the Division II National Championships.