Wildcats move up to No. 17 in national rankings

CHICO – On the strength of its 6-0 start to the 2010-11 season, the stock for the Chico State women’s basketball team just continues to rise. The Wildcats, with conference wins last weekend over Humboldt State and Sonoma State, moved up four notches from No. 21 to No. 17 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll, released Tuesday.

Chico State, which leads the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 4-0 conference record, is the lone CCAA school and one of only four West Region teams included in the national rankings. Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) schools Alaska Anchorage (6-2) and Western Washington (5-0) are ranked 12th and 14th, respectively, while Grand Canyon University (8-1) represents the Pacific West Conference at No. 21.

The USA Today/ESPN board of coaches is made up of 30 head coaches at Division II institutions. All are members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Chico State wastes no time in attempting to live up to its lofty ranking this weekend at the CCAA/GNAC Challenge in Rohnert Park. Friday the Wildcats square off against No. 14 Western Washington, and Saturday the ’Cats take on Seattle Pacific, which was No. 5 in the nation last week before back-to-back losses dropped the Falcons out of the top 25. Both games are scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Wolves’ Den on the campus of Sonoma State.