CCAA Announces Sites and Schedules for 2017-18 Championships
SAN RAMON, Calif. - With two weeks until the first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) postseason competition of 2017-18 commences, it's time to review the sites and schedules of each of the league's 13 championship sports:
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
The 6-kilometer and 8-kilometer races move back to Northern California where Stanislaus State will host the event off-campus at River Oaks Golf Course in Ceres, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 21.
The meet, which determines the conference's individual and team champions, will start with the women's race at 9 a.m. and conclude with the men's race that features an 10 a.m. start time.
"Stanislaus has a history of staging great cross country meets, so we're delighted to be heading to their area," said CCAA Commissioner Nate Salant. "We are fortunate that they will also be hosting track and field next spring as well, so we're going to spend a lot of time in a real CCAA city."
Chico State has swept the men's and women's team awards for the past nine years. The men seek their 16th consecutive crown; the Wildcat women have won nine straight, and 13 of the last 15 championships.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SOCCER
This year's tournament returns to UC San Diego for the first time since 2008. The Tritons' women's squad is two-time reigning champions and the men's team captured their first CCAA Tournament banner last year in Turlock.
"We are delighted to be returning to the UC San Diego campus," noted Commissioner Salant. "UC San Diego's facilities are first-rate, they have a very large and highly competent staff, and who can be unhappy with an event in La Jolla! Seriously, Earl Edwards and company run a top-notch operation and have a really nice soccer stadium, so this will be a terrific event."
For the fourth-straight year, the tournament will follow a six-team, single-elimination format. First-round matches between the numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6 seeds will be played at campus sites on Tuesday, Oct. 31. The winners of the first-round matches will face the top two seeds at Triton Stadium at UCSD in the semifinal round on Friday, Nov. 3. The championship contests will be played on Sunday, Nov. 5.
2017 CCAA Men's and Women's Soccer Tournament
Oct. 31, 2017
(campus sites)
Nov. 3 & 5, 2017
(Triton Stadium; La Jolla, Calif.)
Tuesday, Oct. 31 - (campus sites)
M1: Seed #6 at Seed #3
M2: Seed #5 at Seed #4
W1: Seed #6 at Seed #3
W2: Seed #5 at Seed #4
Friday, November 3 - semifinals
M3: Winner of M1 vs. Seed #2
M4: Winner of M2 vs. Seed #1
W3: Winner of W1 vs. Seed #2
W4: Winner of W2 vs. Seed #1
Sunday, November 5 - championships
M5: Winner of M3 vs. Winner of M4
W5: Winner of W3 vs. Winner of W4
schedule and times subject to change based on final seedings
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Now in it its third year of a post-season tournament, the Women's Volleyball Championship will make its first appearance in Northern California San Francisco State serves as the host from Nov. 16-18.
"San Francisco State's president, Dr. Les Wong, is very active in our league, so any time we bring an event to that campus, we know it will be first-rate," said Commissioner Salant. "Their athletic director, Charles Guthrie, is also a great promoter of events, as he proved when he sold out their facility for last year's first-round CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game, so we're expecting good crowds and lots of excitement."
The tournament format mirrors the NCAA Division II Women's Regional Tournament: an eight-team single-elimination beginning with four quarterfinal matches on Thursday, Nov. 16. The winners advance to Friday's Semifinals, and the victors face off for the title on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Cal State San Bernardino hosted and won last year's tournament, needing five sets to overcome Chico State for its 12th title in the past 16 seasons.
Thursday, November 16 - quarterfinals
M1: Seed #6 vs. Seed #3
M2: Seed #7 vs. Seed #2
M3: Seed #5 vs. Seed #4
M4: Seed #8 vs. Seed #1
Friday, November 17 - semifinals
M5: Winner of M1 vs. Winner of M2
M6: Winner of M3 vs. Winner of M4
Saturday, November 18 - championship
M7: Winner of M5 vs. Winner of M6
*
schedule may change based on final seedings
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
For the second-straight season, the CCAA basketball championships will see a venue in the south. After playing at Cal State San Marcos a season ago, the 2017-18 tournament heads to Kellogg Arena on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona.
"Cal Poly Pomona just made major improvements to its basketball facility, Brian Swanson is one of our best directors of athletics, and I know their President, Soraya Coley, comes to just about every home athletic event, so this should be a truly special experience," remarked Commissioner Salant. "If either of their teams qualifies, that place will be rocking; if not, we should still see good crowds because the community and students support athletics across the boards, and because it is an easy place to get to for many of our fans."
The Tournament field remains at 16 teams (eight men's teams and eight women's teams) with first-round games to be played at campus sites on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The winners of those games advance to the Semifinal and Final rounds, which are scheduled for March 2-3 at the 3,000-seat Kellogg Arena.
Last year, all of the top seeds advanced to championship Saturday. The No. 2 seed Cal State East Bay women's basketball team repeated as CCAA Tournament champions. UC San Diego, the No. 1 seed on the men's side, eased to a 78-63 victory to secure its second CCAA Tournament crown.
2017-18 Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament
February 27, 2018 (
campus sites)
March 2-3, 2018 (K
ellogg Arena; Pomona, Calif.)
Tuesday, February 27 - (
campus sites)
W1: Seed #5 at Seed #4
W2: Seed #8 at Seed #1
W3: Seed #6 at Seed #3
W4: Seed #7 at Seed #2
M1: Seed #5 at Seed #4
M2: Seed #8 at Seed #1
M3: Seed #6 at Seed #3
M4: Seed #7 at Seed #2
Friday, March 2 - semifinals
W5: Winner of W1 vs. Winner of W2
W6: Winner of W3 vs. Winner of W4
M5: Winner of M1 vs. Winner of M2
M6: Winner of M3 vs. Winner of M4
Saturday, March 3 - championships
W7: Winner of W5 vs. Winner of W6
M7: Winner of M5 vs. Winner of M6
WOMEN'S GOLF
The conference adds its 13th championship into the mix, as Sonoma State will host the inaugural Women's Golf Championship at the Sonoma Golf Club April 15-18.
"It is our first-ever women's golf championship, so getting it on a first-rate course was very important to us, and we've succeeded in that regard," said Commissioner Salant. "I know all the coaches were pleased with our tournament location selection."
The Conference team and individual champions shall be determined after 54 holes of play, with 18-hole rounds each of the three consecutive days of competition beginning on Monday, April 16. Each team will be seeded based on Golfstat national rankings with competitors placed in threesomes, and the field will be reseeded after the first round of play..
2017-18 Women's Golf Tournament
April 15-18, 2018 (
Sonoma Golf Club; Sonoma, Calif.)
Sunday, April 15 - practice round
Monday, April 16 - Round 1
Tuesday, April 17 - Round 2
Wednesday, April 18 - Round 3
MEN'S GOLF
Men's golf's nine-team event will be hosted by Chico State from April 22-25, at the Butte Creek Country Club, in Chico, Calif.
After expanding to a 54-hole Championship a year ago, this year's Championship format will include two rounds of 18-hole stroke play on Monday, April 23, followed by a single-round of stroke play Tuesday morning to determine the individual champion. The top four teams after 54-holes of stroke play will advance to Tuesday's Semifinal medal/match round. The Championship medal/match round will be played on Wednesday, April 25.
In 2017, Stanislaus State claimed its third CCAA Men's Golf Championship Title in four years and sixth overall out-stroking Cal State Monterey Bay, 3.5-1.5 at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort. Last year's individual medalist, Chico State's Kelley Sullivan (1-over par, 214) returns as a junior seeking to defend his title.
2017-18 Men's Golf Tournament
April 22-25, 2018 (
Butte Creek Country Club; Chico, Calif.)
Sunday, April 22 - practice round
Monday, April 23 - Stroke play (Rounds 1 & 2)
Tuesday, April 24 - Stroke play (Final round) | Medal/Match Semifinal
Wednesday, April 25 - Medal/Match Final
SOFTBALL
The top four softball squads will be Stockton-bound for the 10th-consecutive year, but the three-day tournament moves to Bill Simoni Field on the campus of the University of the Pacific for the first time.
"The University of the Pacific has a first-class facility and has graciously hosted our baseball in the past," noted Commissioner Salant. "We've heard nothing but great things about Bill Simoni Field, so we're excited to be there.
"This also enables us to stay in Stockton, where we've gotten great support from the Visit Stockton organization, and gives us a year to see what will happen at the Arnaiz Stadium facility we previously used - it is undergoing a change in management, which will hopefully lead to upgrades to the site."
The four-team tournament is slated to begin Friday, May 4 with the Championships scheduled for Sunday, May 6.
In 2017, the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds advanced to Championship Sunday. Third-seed Humboldt State came through the losers bracket, stunning Chico State in a double-header to claim the program's fourth CCAA Tournament Champion banner.
2018 Softball Tournament
May 4-6, 2018
Bill Simoni Field; Stockton, Calif.
Friday, May 4
G1: Seed #4 vs. Seed #1
G2: Seed #3 vs. Seed #2
Saturday, May 5
G3: Winner of G1 vs. Winner of G2
G4: Loser of G1 vs. Loser of G2
G5: Loser of G3 vs. Winner of G4
Sunday, May 6
G6: Winner of G3 vs. Winner of G5
G7: If-necessary
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Next up on the host rotation for the Conference's Track and Field Championships is Stanislaus State. The Warriors will host the event at the impressive Al Brenda Track at Warrior Stadium from May 3-5, 2018.
"This is one of the most difficult championship events to host, and we only have a few campuses with facilities that can do it, so we're delighted that Stanislaus stepped up," remarked Commissioner Salant. "We know it will be a great event - it's the largest gathering of D2 student-athletes in California and has tremendous economic impact - and Kim Duyst and her staff will run a first-class event."
The Championship meet will determine the individual champions in 22 events as well as crown the overall men's and women's team champions.
Track and field powerhouse Chico State has captured the last eight consecutive women's titles, while the men have won 13 of the last 14 postseason meets.
2017 CCAA Track & Field Individual Champions
BASEBALL
The 2018 CCAA Baseball Tournament returns to Banner Island Ballpark, home of the Stockton Ports, for the fifth time in six years.
"The Stockton Ports' minor league team, in conjunction with Visit Stockton, have provided a great facility for our tournament and we hope to extend the contract beyond 2018," said Commissioner Salant. "The student-athletes love playing there, and we are treated really well in every possible way."
The six-team double-elimination event will be held over a four-day period, from May 9-12, 2018. The top six teams in the final CCAA standings will qualify for the tournament with the winner of the event earning the Conference's Championship banner and automatic qualification for the NCAA Division II Baseball West Region Tournament.
The top-seeded Chico State Wildcats earned its second-straight Championship title in 2017, taking home the program's fifth overall Tournament title.
2018 Baseball Championship
May 9-12, 2018
Banner Island Ballpark; Stockton, Calif.
Wednesday, May 9
G1: Seed #6 vs. Seed #1
G2: Seed #5 vs. Seed #2
G3: Seed #4 vs. Seed #3
Thursday, May 10
G4: Loser of G1 vs. Loser of G2
G5: Winner of G1 vs. Loser of G3
G6: Winner of G2 vs. Winner of G3
Friday, May 11-Saturday, May 12
schedule varies based on how many teams remain