Rankers Like the Wildcats
I was going to postpone writing this blog until later tonight, but the insufferable Frank Caliendo is lording his pathetic exploits on the office television and I can’t find the remote.
The CCAA apparently thinks pretty highly of Chico State soccer; the women were selected to win the 2008 conference title by CCAA’s head coaches. Why not? The Wildcats have won the North Division three times in the last four years and won the North and the overall conference title last year. It is seemingly based on first-place votes alone, and Chico State received four of them while Cal State Dominguez Hills (No. 13 in the NSCAA/adidas preseason national poll) got three. Curious as to why the Wildcats are No. 24 nationally, but those rankings never stay the same.
What I find interesting is that the Chico State men got a nod for second in the North, which equates to a conference tournament spot should they actually end up there. Apparently the coaches in the CCAA are impressed with the add of Felipe Restrepo at coach and the good nucleus of talent that often inexplicably struggled to score last year. Restrepo, who reminded us in his introductory press conference that he likes to score goals, could be the one to change that trend.
Sticking with our rankings theme, the volleyball squad got a nod at No. 25, which I frankly find to be generous given the way the Wildcats played down the stretch last season. But who knows? Maybe the talent that allowed them to reach the NCAA Division II tourney last year will manifest itself over a more extended period this season. As we found out last year, the CCAA is an absolute meat grinder in terms of volleyball talent, with Cal State San Bernardino at No. 4, UC San Diego at No. 22 and Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State L.A. receiving top-25 votes.
It’s about three weeks until CCAA play starts, but the fall semester begins on Monday and that will signal the first chance to get a look at any of the teams (first assignment is women’s soccer on Thursday). Prepare yourself for the Litter Box’s most infamous misnomer, the Wildcat Report Cards.