Guilford Tabbed Favorites in ODAC Men's Golf Preseason Poll

Guilford Tabbed Favorites in ODAC Men's Golf Preseason Poll

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 
     
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 
     
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 
     
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 
     
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