Quakers Get Eight First Place Votes, Generals Earn Remaining Pair

FOREST, Va. --- Four-time reigning conference champion Guilford College earned eight first place votes on the way to 80 total points to lead the 2015 ODAC Men’s Golf Coaches’ Poll.  Washington and Lee University is second with 74 tallies and the remaining two top nods.  Hampden-Sydney College sits third with 62 points.

Guilford was unfazed by the change in venue for the 2014 ODAC Championships last spring, collecting its 14th overall ODAC crown at Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, N.C.  The Quakers posted a three-round total of 904 to win by 19 strokes over W&L.  Then GC freshman Tanner Gross won a one-hole playoff with fellow first year standout Conley Hurst from W&L, breaking a tie that saw both players post 222 over 54 holes on the 6,944-yard par-72 custom layout.

The ODAC’s success continued on the national stage with Guilford earning the league’s automatic bid and Brian Burt and Jerry O’Connell from Hampden-Sydney College qualifying as individuals for the NCAA Division III Tournament.  The Quakers, who also served as co-host of the event at Grandover Resort, saw their tournament stay cut short after two rounds, missing the cut by a few strokes after posting a 27-over 603 (294-309).  O’Connell also finished after two rounds, posting 9-over 153 (71-82).  Burt saw considerable success over four rounds of action.  He led after both the first two rounds, ultimately finishing fifth overall at 3-over 291 (67-69-80-75).

The 2014 fall season proved successful for several conference teams, a trend that should continue into the spring.  Guilford and Washington and Lee are both ranked in the latest (2/20/15) Bushnell Golfweek Division III Coaches Poll. GC sits 14th in the country, while W&L opens at #23.  According to Golfstat, the Quakers are 22nd while the Generals follow close behind in 25th position in the national standard’s statistical rankings.

Guilford, guided by new head coach Justin Tereshko, owns the ODAC’s best average entering the spring at 299.7 covering 12 rounds on the links.  GC won the Gordin Classic in late-September, besting several top programs at the Columbus Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.  Ty Palmer exploded in that event, winning by nine strokes after posting a 10-under 206 (66-66-74).  Four Quakers rank inside the top-11 in the conference, led by Drew Thompson tied for second at 74.0.  Gross, who earned the Division III Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award last season, is eighth with a 75.7 average. Palmer and Harrison Frye are 10th and 11th at 75.9 and 76.7, respectively.

Washington and Lee is second in the ODAC with a 301.4 average over nine rounds of play.  The Generals posted top-five finishes in three events, including a runner-up showing at the Al Jones, Jr. Memorial at The Cascades in Tyler, Texas.  Hurst leads the Generals into the spring with a 74.2 average that sits fourth in the conference.  His best showing came in Tyler as he placed third overall at 1-under 141 (71-70), four strokes off the lead.  Luke Farley is fifth in the ODAC at 75.1, while Todd Alan McDonald is tied for 12th at 76.8.

Burt leads a Hampden-Sydney squad that won the Virginia State Intercollegiate at 42-over 618 (315-303), two strokes better than Averett University and Roanoke College.  Burt, who finished third in that event (+4, 148), is second in the ODAC with a 74.0 average.  H-SC will look to Austin Fockler (78.0), Hill Donihe (78.67) and George Whiting (79.46) to have strong springs to help the Tigers improve upon their ODAC fifth-rated 308.5 average.

In addition to finishing as the runner-up at the Virginia Intercollegiate, Roanoke won the Shenandoah Invitational with a 28-over 588 (303-285).  The Maroons, under first year head coach Curtis Peery, own a 309.0 average, sixth in the ODAC.  Andrew Butts leads the charge with a 75.20 average, having placed in the top-five twice on the way to his ODAC sixth-best average.  Look for strong play from Kolton Cooper (76.8) and Jack Prater (77.0) and Alex Taylor (77.0).

Shenandoah University got a big-time performance from Brennan Lloyd at the outside of the fall season as Lloyd won the Tom Kinder Memorial at Lakeview Golf Course in Harrisonburg with a 5-under 139 (69-70).  Lloyd (76.9) and Doc Shulte (75.8) both finished in the top-five once, leading SU to a 308.4 average, fourth in the conference.

Bridgewater College enters the spring with a 309.4 average, seventh in the ODAC.  The Eagles finished second at their own tournament, the Tom Kinder Memorial, posting an 18-over 594 (299-295).  Luke Hill (77.4) placed fourth overall in that event.  He is one of three regular Eagles averaging 77.0 or better, a group led by Rhett Martin at 77.2.

Randolph-Macon College is third in the ODAC with a 306.5 average.  The Yellow Jackets are powered by the ODAC’s leader in individual average, Kyle Fuller, at 73.1.  He is the top-rated player from the conference in Golfstat, sitting 24th in the country.  He finished in the top-five twice, placing second (-4, 140) at the Tom Kinder Memorial and falling in a playoff at the R-MC-hosted Ted Keller Memorial (+4, 144).

Virginia Wesleyan College opens spring play with a 317.2 average, more than 17 strokes better than a season ago.  The Marlins’ best finishes came at the Virginia State Intercollegiate and the Ted Keller Memorial where they finished seventh overall both times.  Evan Cox tops the team’s list of players with a 77.3 average.

Lynchburg College sits eighth in the conference with a 316.5 average after the fall season.  Ned Jensen leads the way for the Hornets, finishing in the top-five twice.  He tied for fourth (+6, 150) at the Virginia State Intercollegiate, and tied for fifth (+2, 74-72) at the Tom Kinder Memorial.

Eastern Mennonite University enters its third spring since adding men’s golf with a 343.8 average.  Andrew Alderfer leads the Royals contingent, posting a 79.6 average thru eight rounds of play.

Listed below is the full 2015 ODAC Men’s Golf Coaches’ Poll.  For more information on ODAC men’s golf, visit any of the participating school’s websites, or go to the ODAC’s home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don’t forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook.  You can also follow the ODAC on Twitter @odacathletics.