CHICO – With basketball less than a month away from officially tipping off the 2023-24 season, the CCAA conducted its annual preseason poll. When all the scores added up, the Chico State women received 93 points for a respectable fourth place finish.
 
Cal State LA was predicted the favorites as to win the conference title, garnering 135 points with six first-place votes. Cal State San Marcos, despite receiving four first-place votes, was edged out of the top pick by one point.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills, the defending CCAA and NCAA West Region champions, took third in the poll with 123 points while also receiving the remaining two first-place votes.
 
Finishing behind Chico State for fifth place was Cal Poly Pomona, which received 89 points. Sonoma State rounded out the top six that would qualify for the CCAA Tournament in March by receiving 81 points.
 
Finishing out the rest of the standings were Cal State East Bay in seventh with 67 points, Cal State San Bernardino (65), Stanislaus State (54), Cal Poly Humboldt (43), Cal State Monterey Bay (27) and San Francisco State (25).
 
Last season, the Wildcats finished 18-11 overall and 14-8 in the CCAA, good enough for a fifth-place finish and qualify to the conference tournament. Brian Fogel, entering his 16^th season at the helm of the Wildcat program, returns seven letterwinners from last year, including All-CCAA selections Zhane Duckett and Brandy Huffhines.
 
Before the Wildcats tipoff the season in Rohnert Park on November 10, they will get two early workouts on the road against two West Coast Conference opponents, starting with Saint Mary's on October 30 and the University of San Francisco, led by former Wildcat coach Molly Goodenbour, on November 3.