Tritons picked to finish second in CCAA standings by league’s coaches
The UC San Diego women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular standings in 2008-09, according to the preseason coaches poll that was released by the CCAA office on Thursday. Defending champion Chico State was tabbed to repeat, receiving seven of the 11 first place votes and 96 total points to capture the top spot in the poll.
UCSD, which finished third in the CCAA standings last season at 14-6, received three first place votes and 85 points.
Humboldt State received 70 points to finish third, while Sonoma State earned the fourth place nod with 63 points. San Francisco State, the only other team besides the Wildcats and Tritons to receive a first place vote, finished fifth, with Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State L.A., Cal State Stanislaus, and Cal State Monterey Bay rounding out the poll, respectively.
The Tritons finished with an overall record of 25-10 under first-year head coach Charity Elliot a year ago, winning nine of their last 12 games to close the season. UCSD defeated San Francisco State and Sonoma State in the CCAA Championship Tournament, before falling to Chico State in the title game. Despite the loss, the Tritons advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional, where they defeated Cal State San Bernardino, but lost a semifinal matchup with Seattle Pacific, 76-67.
Eliiot and her coaching staff return three starters and six total letterwinners from last year’s squad, including All-CCAA First-Team selection Michelle Osier. UCSD’s roster will also feature several newcomers in 2008-09, including four junior college transfers and four talented freshmen.
The Tritons take the court for the first time this season Nov. 1 for an exhibition contest with Biola University at 7 p.m. in RIMAC Arena. UCSD will tip off the regular season Nov. 16 with a home match-up against Dixie State College at 1 p.m.
2008-09 CCAA Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
- Chico State (7) - 96
- UC San Diego (3) - 85
- Humboldt State - 70
- Sonoma State - 63
- San Francisco State (1) - 61
- Cal State San Bernardino - 60
- Cal Poly Pomona - 51
- Cal State Dominguez Hills - 48
- Cal State L.A. - 32
- Cal State Stanislaus - 20
- Cal State Monterey Bay - 19