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The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Wildcats succeed with higher fan count

Each Chico State sport has experienced highs and lows in terms of average attendance over the past decade. The Orion looked at year-by-year attendance with the best performances of each team.

Here’s what we found.

Volleyball:

In 2007, the women’s volleyball team reached the second of back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and finished the season with a 16-13 record. Head Coach Cody Hein earned his 100th career coaching victory in a four-set win over Western Oregon University. Hein has more victories than any other head volleyball coach in school history. Over the course of the season, the ‘Cats averaged 367 fans per game and finished the year with a total of 3,668 fan total.

Soccer:

Chico State men and women’s soccer teams brought in the largest amount of fans for the last decade during the 2010 season. The men’s team finished the year with a winning record of 15-7. The team won the Western Regional Title and were crowned the California Collegiate Athletic Association North Divisional champions. The women’s team had a less successful season, finishing with a record of 8-9-1, but still had three all-CCAA conference players. Women’s head Coach Kim Sutton reached the 100th win milestone during a 4-2 victory against Cal State Monterey Bay. In 2011, the women’s team went on to advance to the NCAA Final Four, losing in a shootout to Grand Valley State. The Wildcats averaged 449 fans per game and had a total of 7,177 fans in 2010.

Basketball:

Chico State’s men and women’s basketball teams both made the NCAA tournament in 2004 and had 18,749 total fans over a great year of basketball. The men’s team went 18-10, but lost in the first round of NCAA tournament play. Scott Land had a record-breaking year, becoming Chico State’s all-time leader in 3-pointers. Land came up just two 3-pointers short of becoming the CCAA all-time leader. The women’s team went 24-6 on the year and played in their third straight NCAA tournament. The ‘Cats were undefeated in tournament play until a heartbreaking loss to Seattle Pacific University in the championship game. Women’s head Coach Lynne Roberts was named the Division II Coach of the Year.

Baseball:

Chico State men’s baseball went 42-17 in 2008 and totaled 12,113 total fans in 2008. The team made a playoff push in the NCAA tournament and made it to the NCAA Championship West Regional. The ‘Cats lost to Sonoma State 11-4 in the tough loss. The team had reached their 10th regional final appearance in the 1995-2008 timespan. Nine players batted over .300 during the regular season in 2008.

Lars Gustafson can be reached at @[email protected] or @larsonsports on Twitter.

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