Thanks for the Memories, 2016 -- One of the GNAC's Most Successful Years Ever

It was, by any account, one of the most successful calendar years ever for the GNAC.

When student-athletes, coaches, parents and fans reflect on the past 12 months, they'll see a highlight-heavy 2016 for this Division II conference spread across five U.S. states and one Canadian province.

In total, there were four Final Four berths, three national title-game appearances, and one NCAA crown.

Let's recount for you (in chronological order) these exemplary accomplishments:

Men's Basketball
It was a storybook season for the Wolves under first-year head coach (and WOU alum) Jim Shaw. Led by two-time GNAC Player of the Year Andy Avgi, the senior-laden Wolves won GNAC regular season and postseason tournament titles for the first time. WOU then hosted the West Regional, where the Wolves shined in front of packed crowds on their way to capturing the regional title. WOU then defeated Saginaw Valley State in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history.

Women's Basketball
Ranked No. 1 during the season, University of Alaska Anchorage went 38-3 on its way to winning GNAC regular season and postseason tournament crowns and advancing to the NCAA title game (where it fell to Lubbock Christian at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis). The 38 wins by the Seawolves are a DII single-season record.

Softball
Central Washington's late-season run, which included staving off four elimination games at the GNAC Championships, resulted in the Wildcats' becoming the first conference team to advance past the West Regional round since the NCAA went to a Super Regional format in 2009. Under first-year head coach Mike Larabee, CWU won 19 of its last 27 games to finish 42-17.

Outdoor Track & Field
A total of 49 student-athletes earned spots in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and more than half ended up achieving first or second team USATFCCCA All-American honors, including national champions Mikel Smith of Saint Martin's in the high jump and UAA's Dylan Thomas in the decathlon.

Cross Country
The GNAC had three NCAA top 10 team finishes in 2016 -- the UAA men finished fifth (the seventh consecutive top 10 posting for the Seawolves), Simon Fraser women registered a program-best sixth-place finish, and the UAA women placed eighth.

Football
Azusa Pacific made its first trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs, earning the No. 7 in Super Region 3. The Cougars, who won the GNAC title for the third time in four seasons, fell to Sioux Falls in a first-round playoff game.

Women's Soccer

The 2016 NCAA women's soccer champion Vikings.

Making its third Final Four trip in the past four years, Western Washington came away with all the important hardware this time, defeating three-time defending national champion Grand Valley State 3-2 in a fabulous finale to win the NCAA championship. It marked the fourth NCAA title for a GNAC team. Travis Connell, who guided his Vikings to a 24-0-1 record, earned national Coach of the Year honors.

Volleyball
UAA was the fourth GNAC team to make a Final Four appearance in 2016, winning the West Regional championship and then dispatching Angelo State and Palm Beach Atlantic in the Elite Eight to reach the national championship match. The Seawolves' run to their first national title in the sport was stopped in the finale by Concordia-St. Paul. UAA led the nation in attendance for the second consecutive year.