Men’s golf ranked 7th in NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll
Fresh off a fifth-place finish at the 2024 NAIA National Championships, the UHV men's golf team is entering the 2024-25 season on a high note.
The Jaguars begin their campaign for a national championship as the No. 7-ranked team in the nation after the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll was announced on Thursday.
The No. 7 ranking marks the second-highest preseason ranking for UHV men's golf behind the team's No. 3 ranking ahead of the 2022-23 season.
"I'm super pumped for our guys to get some well-deserved recognition to start the year," said head coach Garrett Adair. "It's a good starting point to where we want to bet. Just like every year, the ultimate goal is to be the team in the No. 1 spot at the end. Practices start next week and we're ready to go out and prove ourselves, and see what this season holds."
UHV boasted a school record three NAIA All-Americans last season and return two of them in senior Joshua Van der Wath and sophomore Nathan Biais.
The Jaguars' fifth-place finish at the NAIA Tournament at Dalton Golf and Country Club in Dalton, Georgia, last season was spurred on by a Top 10 finish and All-Tournament honors by Van der Wath (71-75-73-75—294). The performance by the Johannesburg, South Africa, native secured an automatic bid to the 2025 NAIA National Tournament, should UHV not qualify as a team.
UHV qualified for the 2024 NAIA Tournament after winning its fourth consecutive Red River Athletic Conference title on the heels of a record performance by Biais.
The Jaguars and No. 3-ranked Texas Wesleyan, which finished as runners-up at the National Championships last season, were the lone Texas teams in the Top 10. Defending national champion Dalton State took the top spot in the poll with all 19 first-place votes, followed by Keiser (Fla.) in second.
|
RANK |
LAST TIME |
SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
FINAL POINTS |
|
1 |
1 |
Dalton State (Ga.) [19] |
570 |
|
2 |
2 |
Keiser (Fla.) |
535 |
|
3 |
4 |
Texas Wesleyan |
528 |
|
4 |
6 |
British Columbia |
500 |
|
5 |
11 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
474 |
|
6 |
5 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
452 |
|
7 |
15 |
Houston-Victoria (Texas) |
441 |
|
8 |
12 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
419 |
|
9 |
23 |
Marian (Ind.) |
383 |
|
10 |
17 |
Friends (Kan.) |
382 |
|
11 |
7 |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) |
360 |
|
12 |
8 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
328 |
|
13 |
3 |
OUAZ (Ariz.) |
325 |
|
14 |
14 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
312 |
|
15 |
13 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
310 |
|
16 |
16 |
Coastal Georgia |
305 |
|
17 |
9 |
Truett McConnell (Ga.) |
273 |
|
18 |
10 |
Oklahoma City |
251 |
|
19 |
18 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
234 |
|
20 |
21 |
Webber International (Fla.) |
217 |
|
21 |
20 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
178 |
|
22 |
19 |
Point (Ga.) |
175 |
|
23 |
RV |
Lawrence Tech (Mich.) |
141 |
|
24 |
22 |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
131 |
|
25 |
24 |
Ave Maria (Fla.) |
97 |
Receiving Votes: Taylor (Ind.) 69; Tennessee Wesleyan 69; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 61; Victoria (B.C.) 60; Cumberlands (Ky.) 56; Northwestern (Iowa) 26; Science and Arts (Okla.) 23, Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 23, Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.) 23, Kansas Wesleyan 20, Arizona Christian 18, Rio Grande (Ohio) 15, The Master's (Calif.) 10, Indiana Wesleyan 7, Southwestern Christian (Okla.) 7, Reinhardt (Ga.) 5, Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) 5, Northwestern Ohio 5, SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) 4, Park (Mo.) 4, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 2