Cal Maritime Releases Women's Basketball Schedule
After an extremely successful 2011-2012 season, the California Maritime Academy women's basketball team will once again play an extremely difficult preseason schedule to prepare themselves for conference play in the California Pacific Conference. The Keelhaulers open up the season with 2 tournaments in Oregon. In the opening weekend, Cal Maritime will face 3 Cascade Conference opponents including host Southern Oregon, in Ashland Oregon. This will be the first meeting of three between the two schools. The Keelhaulers will then head back to Oregon the following weekend to play in the Oregon Tech tournament where they will face off against the host Owls and play Southern Oregon as well. Heading into the Thanksgiving Break the Keelhaulers will host NCAA Division Two powerhouse University of Mary from North Dakota and NAIA D1 Westmont College. Westmont College will be lead by Tugce Canitez, who has just finished competing in her first Olympic games with Turkey. Cal Maritime will then continue with four more schools from the Golden State Athletic Conference playing Vanguard University, San Diego Christian and Arizona Christian all on the road as well as Biola University at home.
The Keelhaulers will be back at home on December 7th through the 9th hosting Biola, Oregon Tech, and Southern Oregon. To finish out the first semester Cal Maritime will head out on the road one more time to face former Cal Pac opponent Holy Names University. Cal Maritime finishes up the non conference schedule with four tough contests.
Conference play will once again be a battle with the addition of UC Merced and the always tough match- ups with Simpson University, William Jessup, Pacific Union College, and Menlo. Menlo comes into the 2012-2013 season as the 2011-12 conference and tournament champions. The Keelhaulers will open up with Pacific Union on the road and then a rematch of the championship game versus Menlo on January 4th at Menlo College.
Coach Covell stated about the upcoming schedule, "We have such a difficult preseason schedule playing against teams from a very strong Cascade Conference as well as cluster of games in a row versus tournament tested GSAC schools. We are looking forward to the challenge that it will bring to our team and how it will prepare us for conference."