College Golf News – Guilford Ranked 11th in Latest Golf Week/Nike Golf Poll

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford College’s men’s golf team slipped two spots to 11th place in the first Golf World/Nike Golf Division III Coaches’ Poll of the spring 2013 season. The rankings are made by members of the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and will also be published in the Mar. 4 edition of Golf World. Guilford slipped from the poll’s top-10 for the first time in 37 consecutive ratings.

Defending national champion Oglethorpe University maintained its top spot with 11 of 16 first-place votes and 395 points. Methodist University is second with three first-place votes and 370 points. Saint John’s (Minn.) University is third with 355 points, followed by University of Texas-Tyler (339) and Nebraska Wesleyan University (327).

The Quakers started their spring season by winning the rain-shortened Pine Needles Intercollegiate Feb. 26. Guilford had all four scorers finish among the top-12 in the 50-man field and was led by sophomore Nick Shedd, who finished third with a even-par 71. Senior Noah Ratner and teammate Travis Tolbert shared fourth-place honors as both shot a one-over 72. Drew Thompson placed 12th with a 76.

Ratner, the GCAA’s defending NCAA Division III Player of the Year, leads the Quakers with a 73.54 stroke average that ranks first among ODAC golfers. Thompson is second on the team with a 74.54 average, which stands fourth in the league.

Third-year head coach Corey Maggard’s squad is ranked eighth in the Feb. 27 Golfstat.com Division III Head-to-Head Ratings. The Quakers are scheduled to play in the Davidson Spring Invitational Mar. 4 and 5 in Davidson, N.C.