College Golf News – Guilford Men Ranked First in Golf World/Nike Golf Division III Coaches’ Poll

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford College’s men’s golf team remains in first place in the first NCAA Division III Golf World/Nike Golf and Golf Coaches Association of America Coaches’ Poll of the spring season. The Quakers earned 15 of the 18 first-place votes to maintain the top spot. Illinois Wesleyan University retained second with two first-place votes. Methodist University the University of Texas at Tyler and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges round out the top five.

Guilford is also ranked first in the Feb. 29 Golfstat.com NCAA Division III Relative Rankings. The Quakers are in front of Texas-Tyler and Illinois Wesleyan in those ratings.

The Quakers earned their top rankings thanks to fall victories at the Golfweek Fall Invitational and the O’Briant-Jensen Memorial, along with a second-place effort at the Gordin Division III Preview. Guilford opened its spring season earlier this week with its third victory of the year, a 24-shot win in the Pine Needles Intercollegiate Feb. 28. Guilford currently has three students ranked among the top 50 Division III players according to Golfstat.com’s Head-to-Head Player Standings, including top-ranked Noah Ratner (Asheville, N.C./Asheville), who won three of four fall events and took second at the Pine Needles Intercollegiate.

Guilford returns to the links Mar. 12-13 at the Taylor Made-Adidas Invitational.

Feb. 29 Golf World/Nike Division III Coaches’ Poll

 School (First-place votes)               Points         Last
1. Guilford (15) 441 1
2. Illinois Wesleyan (2) 414 2
3. Methodist 383 4
3. UT-Tyler 373 3
5. Claremont-Mudd Scripps 348 5
6. Redlands 343 7
7. Oglethorpe 324 6
8. Christopher Newport 315 8
9. St. John’s (Minn.) 268 9
10. Huntingdon 263 10