William Woods, which won all five events it participated in this fall, finished second at the NAIA Contender TPC in Irving, Texas, on March 9 – 10. David Houlding shot 3-over-par (76-69—145) to finish tied for fifth, headlining the William Woods individuals. Teammates Billy McKenzie (76-71—147), Julian Taylor (79-69—148) and Matt Wells (76-72—148) also closed the event among the top 10. The Owls return to the course March 16 – 17 for the Eagle Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla.
No. 2 Oklahoma City accrued the remaining eight first-place votes and 451 points. Since the 2000 season, the Stars, who climbed three spots from last edition, have never been ranked out of the top five.
No. 3 British Columbia (441 points), No. 4 Coastal Georgia (425 points) and No. 5 Wayland Baptist (Texas) round out the remainder of the top five.
USC Beaufort (S.C.) jumped a poll-high four spots from No. 13 to No. 9. The top-10 ranking is the first for the Sand Sharks since ranking No. 6 on April 13, 2012. USC Beaufort took second to defending national champion Coastal Georgia in the Sand Shark Classic March 9 – 10. The event was the spring opener for the team.
No. 24 Corban (Ore.) is the only newcomer. The ranking is the first-ever for the Warriors, dating back to 2000.
The Sun Conference leads all leagues with five teams represented in the poll – No. 6 Johnson & Wales (Fla.), USC Beaufort, No. 14 Webber International (Fla.), No. 16 Northwood (Fla.) and No. 22 Thomas (Ga.).
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, Association of Independent Institutions and Unaffiliated Groups.
For the entire 2015 NAIA Men’s Golf Coaches’ Top 25 Poll ratings calendar, click here. The second regular-season rating will be released on March 27.
Notes: (All information dates back to 2000) William Woods (Mo.) is making its second No. 1 appearance… The Owls are one of 10 teams all-time to hold the No. 1 ranking… Oklahoma City leads the NAIA with 38 all-time No. 1 rankings, followed by former member Oklahoma Christian (28) and Texas Wesleyan (5)… Only Wayland Baptist (Texas) and Coastal Georgia appeared at No. 1 in 2014… No. 2 Oklahoma City has never been ranked outside of the top five… Oklahoma City (2010, 2004, 2003, 2002) is the only Preseason No. 1 team to go on to win the National Championships during the same season.
2015 NAIA Men’s Golf Coaches Top 25 Poll – No. 1 (March 13)
|
RANK |
LAST |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
1 |
William Woods (Mo.) (9) |
460 |
|
2 |
5 |
Oklahoma City (8) |
451 |
|
3 |
3 |
British Columbia |
441 |
|
4 |
4 |
Coastal Georgia |
425 |
|
5 |
2 |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
408 |
|
6 |
6 |
Johnson & Wales (Fla.) |
388 |
|
7 |
8 |
Cal State San Marcos |
381 |
|
8 |
9 |
Texas Wesleyan |
355 |
|
9 |
13 |
USC Beaufort (S.C.) |
336 |
|
10 |
8 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
335 |
|
11 |
10 |
Dalton State (Ga.) |
316 |
|
12 |
11 |
Victoria (B.C.) |
312 |
|
13 |
10 |
Concordia (Ore.) |
270 |
|
T14 |
17 |
Webber International (Fla.) |
268 |
|
T14 |
12 |
Oklahoma Baptist |
268 |
|
16 |
19 |
Northwood (Fla.) |
242 |
|
17 |
16 |
Mount Mercy (Iowa) |
225 |
|
18 |
20 |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
221 |
|
19 |
19 |
Mobile (Ala.) |
159 |
|
20 |
22 |
Union (Ky.) |
153 |
|
21 |
21 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
138 |
|
22 |
24 |
Thomas (Ga.) |
134 |
|
23 |
18 |
The Master’s (Calif.) |
124 |
|
24 |
RV |
Corban (Ore.) |
104 |
|
25 |
25 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
87 |
Others receiving votes: Houston-Victoria (Texas) 80; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 71; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 66; Texas at Brownsville 60; Oklahoma Wesleyan 46; AIB (Iowa) 25; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 23; Bethany (Kan.) 23; Arizona Christian 22; Warner (Fla.) 7; Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 6; Midland (Neb.) 6; Milligan (Tenn.) 5; Culver-Stockton (Mo.) 3; Westminster (Utah) 3.