Generals, Marlins Rank in Top-Three
FOREST, Va. --- Five-time defending champion Guilford College was tabbed the favorite to hoist its 16th championship trophy as the Quakers earned 77 points and seven first place votes to lead the ODAC Men's Golf Preseason Poll. Washington and Lee University picked up two top nods and 71 tallies, while Virginia Wesleyan College sits third with 61 points. Hampden-Sydney College (56 pts.) garnered the remaining first place vote from the league's head coaches.
At the 2015 ODAC Championships, weather forced the players' hands the first two days, completely washing out day one which resulted in a shortening of the tournament to 36 holes. The first round on Monday was suspended nearly midway thru as conditions again turned unfavorable, which necessitated the players returning to the Jones Course at Rock Barn Golf & Spa at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday to finish their opening rounds before playing their final 18 holes.
Guilford lived up to its then 12-ranked billing in posting team rounds of 293 and 288 to finish 14 strokes clear of Washington and Lee for the rights to the conference crown. Former Quaker standout Drew Thompson finished as the lone player under-par, posting a 2-under 142 (71-71) to claim individual medalist honors.
Guilford, serving as co-hosts for the 2015 NCAA Division III Championships, finished eighth overall at 43-over par, 22 strokes behind team champion Methodist University. Ty Palmer was the top ODAC competitor, tying for fifth overall at even-par 288 after 72 holes on the East and West Courses at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. Former Hampden-Sydney star Brian Burt placed 12th as an individual entrant, earning Ping All-America First Team honors. Palmer and Thompson were tabbed to the Third Team, while former Randolph-Macon College standout Kyle Fuller earned Honorable Mention accolades for his season of play.
Following the 2015 fall campaign, four ODAC teams are ranked inside the top-50 in the country according to Golfstat (www.golfstat.com)*. Guilford leads the group slotted 17th, while Washington and Lee University sits 25th. Virginia Wesleyan continues its rise over the last three seasons, entering the spring rated 42nd. Hampden-Sydney chimes in as the 48th-ranked squad in NCAA D-III.
Golfstat also rates players in each NCAA division, with six ODAC standouts appearing inside the top-100. Guilford's Justin Perdue leads the conference contingent as the 15th-rated golfer, while teammate Ty Palmer is 53rd. Washington and Lee also features a pair in 27th-ranked Luke Farley and Hayden Combs positioned 79th. Current ODAC average leader (72.6) Evan Cox from Virginia Wesleyan is slotted 44th, while Hampden-Sydney's Alex Simmons is 91st.
The 2016 spring season begins on Monday, March 7, with several squads slated to compete in the TaylorMade/Adidas Intercollegiate in Dataw Island, S.C. The ODAC Championships move to a new location April 24-26, with Stoney Creek Golf Course in Wintergreen, Va., serving as this season's host venue.
Listed below is the complete 2016 ODAC Men's Golf Preseason Poll as well as preview capsules for each of the ODAC men's golf programs. For more information on ODAC men's golf, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, 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 and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.
* All Golfstat rankings are current as of 2/18/16
2016 ODAC MEN'S GOLF PRESEASON POLL | |
(#) Denotes First Place Votes | |
1. Guilford College (7) | 77 pts. |
2. Washington and Lee University (2) | 71 pts. |
3. Virginia Wesleyan College | 61 pts. |
4. Hampden-Sydney College | 56 pts. |
5. Bridgewater College | 45 pts. |
6. Roanoke College | 44 pts. |
7. Randolph-Macon College | 35 pts. |
8. Shenandoah University | 32 pts. |
9. Lynchburg College | 20 pts. |
10. Eastern Mennonite University | 9 pts. |
2016 Poll Position: 5th Head Coach: Lee Williams 2015 Tournament Finish: 4th - 616 (308-308) Current Golfstat Ranking: 103rd Current Team Average: 308.3 in 10 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: None Second Team: None Third Team: Elijah Tackett Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 76.5 (18) -- Nathan Hildebrand 76.5 (18) -- Rhett Martin 77.3 (27) -- Ocean Armstrong 77.8 (29) -- Elijah Tackett 78.0 (33) -- Luke Hill |
2016 Poll Position: 7th Head Coach: Ed Turnage 2015 Tournament Finish: 3rd - 604 (314-290) Current Golfstat Ranking: 94th Current Team Average: 309.1 in 10 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: None Second Team: None Third Team: None Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 75.1 (8) -- Matt McDonagh 76.9 (26) -- Trey Razzetti 77.9 (31) -- Kirby Struhar 80.6 (49) -- Connor Jones 82.0 (52) -- Christian Fagan |
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2016 Poll Position: 10th Head Coach: Wendell Eberly 2015 Tournament Finish: 10th - 731 (355-376) Current Golfstat Ranking: 210th Current Team Average: 326.8 in 8 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: None Second Team: None Third Team: None Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 78.0 (33) -- Josh Alderfer 79.6 (45) -- Andrew Alderfer 83.0 (55) -- Lucas Miller 87.3 (60) -- Austin Sachs 90.0 (63) -- Travis Dull |
2016 Poll Position: 6th Head Coach: Curtis Peery 2015 Tournament Finish: 8th - 629 (317-312) Current Golfstat Ranking: 126th Current Team Average: 308.9 in 10 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: None Second Team: None Third Team: Andrew Butts, Alex Taylor Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 75.5 (10) -- William Brown 75.5 (10) -- Andrew Butts 76.5 (18) -- Nicklaus Norris 78.0 (33) -- Alex Taylor 78.7 (39) -- Colin Hancock |
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2016 Poll Position: 1st Head Coach: Justin Tereshko 2015 Tournament Finish: 1st - 581 (293-288) Current Golfstat Ranking: 17th Current Team Average: 298.2 in 13 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: Ty Palmer Second Team: Harrison Frye Third Team: None Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 73.3 (2) -- Justin Perdue 73.9 (4) -- Ty Palmer 76.1 (15) -- Harrison Frye 76.6 (22) -- Kendall Dunn 77.7 (28) -- Josh Hill |
2016 Poll Position: 8th Head Coach: Scott Singhass (COY) 2015 Tournament Finish: T-5th - 623 (312-311) Current Golfstat Ranking: 164th Current Team Average: 315.7 in 10 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: Evan Cocke Second Team: Doc Shulte Third Team: None Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 76.4 (17) -- Evan Cocke 78.6 (37) -- Brennan Lloyd 79.1 (42) -- Brett Dubin 81.1 (50) -- Seth Crean 83.0 (55) -- Robert Fox |
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2016 Poll Position: 4th Head Coach: Mac Main 2015 Tournament Finish: 9th - 633 (326-307) Current Golfstat Ranking: 48th Current Team Average: 303.6 in 8 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: None Second Team: None Third Team: Alex Simmons Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 75.0 (5) -- Alex Simmons 75.4 (9) -- Austin Fockler 75.7 (13) -- Jamie Agnew 77.8 (29) -- Will Snyder 80.3 (47) -- Hill Donihe |
2016 Poll Position: 3rd Head Coach: Bryan Hearn 2015 Tournament Finish: T-5th - 623 (316-307) Current Golfstat Ranking: 42nd Current Team Average: 302.1 in 8 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: None Second Team: Evan Cox (ROY) Third Team: None Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 72.6 (1) -- Evan Cox 75.8 (14) -- Caleb Martin 76.5 (18) -- Hall Rupert 79.4 (43) -- Kevin Duffy 80.5 (48) -- Keith Cooper |
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2016 Poll Position: 9th Head Coach: Jon Howard 2015 Tournament Finish: 7th - 624 (309-315) Current Golfstat Ranking: 134th Current Team Average: 309.9 in 8 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: None Second Team: None Third Team: None Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 76.1 (15) -- Josh Irby 78.3 (36) -- Matthew Stanley 78.6 (37) -- Andrew Moon 78.8 (40) -- Joey Gasperini 79.5 (44) -- Jeff Brochetti |
2016 Poll Position: 2nd Head Coach: Pete Gyscek 2015 Tournament Finish: 2nd - 595 (297-298) Current Golfstat Ranking: 25th Current Team Average: 298.3 in 7 rounds Returning All-ODAC Players First Team: Conley Hurst Second Team: Luke Farley Third Team: None Top-5 Returning Fall Leaders -- (#) denotes ODAC rank 73.3 (2) -- Luke Farley 75.0 (5) -- Hayden Combs 75.0 (5) -- Todd Alan McDonald 76.6 (22) -- Conley Hurst 76.6 (22) -- Cody Solomon 76.6 (22) -- George May |