Tuesday, September 10, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – With fall sports officially underway for the 2019-20 academic year, GNAC Insider returned Tuesday at 7 p.m. (PT).

Joining the show for the first time was Mike Burton, the NCAA Division II football national director of officials. Burton is the first person to hold the title, as the NCAA created the position to increase the quality of officiating below the Division I level.

Burton has worked in the officiating field for 36 years. Prior to his recent appointment, he served as the commissioner of the Northwest Intercollegiate Football Officials Association (NIFOA) and the assigner of football officials for the GNAC from 2005 to 2019. His new role focuses on officiating on a national scale.

Serving as the director of athletics at Central Washington since 2013, Dennis Francois joined the show to highlight recent news and upcoming events for Wildcat athletics.

For the fifth time, the Central Washington football team will compete on a national stage in the NCAA Division II Football Showcase against Ferris State on Sept. 14. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app. The Central Washington volleyball team was also selected as co-favorites to win the GNAC in the 2019 preseason poll.

GNAC Insider was also joined by Grace Eversaul, a junior midfielder on the Western Washington women’s soccer team. Eversaul had a stellar 2018 campaign that earned her First Team All-GNAC and Second Team United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors. She is also fresh off a game-winning goal in the Vikings’ 1-0 win over St. Edward’s on Saturday, Sept. 7. Western Washington, last year’s regular season champion, stands alone atop the GNAC women’s soccer standings after a 2-0 start to the 2019 season.

You can listen live to GNAC Insider at this link or hear every episode at your convenience wherever you get your podcasts.

GNAC Insider is available free at Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify and Stitcher.