Courtesy of Jon Cole
NORMAN, Okla. — The Guilford men’s golf team will open the 2021 season ranked as the ninth-best team in the NCAA Division III ranks according to the Bushnell Golfweek Pre-Spring Poll that were released on Friday, January 15.
Guilford, which ended the 2019-20 season ranked 11th in the polls, joins Hampden-Sydney as the only representatives from the ODAC to rank among the Top-10. The Quakers will be led by an experienced group in 2021, which includes seniors James Mishoe, Jack Lee, Addison Manring and Louis Lambert.
Mishoe earned his second ODAC Golfer of the Year Award in as many seasons in March 2020, while claiming first-team honors. He became the fifth Quaker in program history to win consecutive ODAC Golfer of the Year awards and the first since three-time winner Noah Ratner ’13. Manring ended the 2019-20 slate with second-team honors while Lee picked up third-team accolades.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to compete this spring,” said Guilford head coach Adam Crawford. “I’m excited about this group as we have a nice blend of experience with our upperclassmen and some young guys who will step in and compete right away.”
Illinois Wesleyan University will open the 2021 season as the No. 1 team in the country after receiving 12 first place votes. The Titans have now been ranked No. 1 in six consecutive rankings dating back to last season.
Huntingdon ranks second, followed by Emory, Carnegie Mellon, and Methodist to round out the top-five.
Piedmont, who received two first-place votes, ranks sixth, followed by Hampden Sydney, Mary Hardin Baylor, Guilford, and St. Thomas (MN), to round out the Top-10.
Guilford begins the 2021 slate on March 8 when it takes part in the Savannah Invitational at The Club at Savannah Harbor in Georgia.
Bushnell Golfweek Pre-Spring Poll
Rank University (First Place Votes) Points Previous Ranking 1 Illinois Wesleyan (12) 360 1 2 Huntingdon 231 2 3 Emory 230 3 4 Carnegie Mellon (1) 210 4 5 Methodist 190 8 6 Piedmont (2) 182 24 7 Hampden-Sydney 171 5 8 Mary Hardin-Baylor 154 NR 9 Guilford 150 11 10 St. Thomas (MN) 144 6 T-11 Greensboro 136 NR T-11 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 136 7 T-11 Gustavus Adolphus 136 9 T-14 Hardin-Simmons 126 NR T-14 New York University 126 13 16 Aurora University 121 20 17 Wittenberg 112 14 T-18 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 110 10 T-18 Oglethorpe 110 T-18 20 Southwestern (TX) 108 12 21 Calvin 105 NR 22 Washington & Lee 99 T-18 23 East Texas Baptist 95 NR 24 Nebraska Wesleyan 90 NR 25 Trine University 85 NR
Dropped From Ranking: Babson (#15); Denison Univ. (#21); Redlands (#17); Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (#16); Saint Johns (MN) (#23); Webster Univ. (#22); Williams (#25).
Others Receiving Votes: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 80; Howard Payne Univ., 75; Transylvania, 75; Adrian College, 72; Redlands, 72; Luther, 60; Belhaven College, 55; Babson, 54; Dubuque Univ., 50; Wisconsin Lutheran, 48; Rochester, 45; Central College, 35; Loras, 32; Berry College, 30; Denison Univ., 30; Bluffton Univ., 25; Wartburg, 25; Webster Univ., 24; LaGrange, 21; California Lutheran, 20; Coe College, 20; Christopher Newport, 18; Concordia (WI), 18; Williams, 18; Concordia Univ. (TX), 16; Northwestern – St. Paul, 15; Kenyon College, 14; McDaniel, 14; Averett, 10; Saint John (MN), 10; Williamette, 7; Rhodes, 6; Allegheny, 5; Skidmore, 5; Whitworth, 5; Wisconsin Superior, 5; Milwaukee School of Engineering, 4; Wisconsin Stout, 4; Middlebury, 3; Morrisville State, 3; Sewanee: The Univ. of the South, 3; Widener, 3; Pomona-Pitzer Athletics, 2; Wesley, 2; Hope, 1; Immaculata, 1.