GREENWOOD, Ind. - The 2014-15 Great Midwest Athletic Conference men’s golf season is in its second year following the approval of the league being an active NCAA Division II conference.
The shortened fall season is in the books and teams are already putting the finishing touches on their preparation for the lengthy duration of what the spring has to offer.
Trevecca Nazarene, who is currently in its first active NCAA season since its transition from the NAIA, returns as the defending G-MAC Champion, after capturing the title with a three-round total of 942 last year.
The 2014-15 season has a field of six current teams participating for the second straight year in the conference championship tournament, hosted by the G-MAC at a neutral course. This year’s tournament will take place at the Four Bridges Country Club just north of Cincinnati on April 24-25.
In unanimous fashion, Trevecca was identified as the team to beat again in 2014-15, topping the conference preseason coaches’ poll by earning the possible five first-place votes from opposing coaches. The Trojans captured the title last season over Cedarville, who was ranked second by the coaches with four second-place votes.
Kentucky Wesleyan, which finished second in the G-MAC Championships last season, was slotted third with one first-place vote. Davis & Elkins, Alderson Broaddus and Ohio Valley, round out the preseason rankings, respectively. No. 3-6 in the preseason poll was only separated by five points.
2015 G-MAC PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL
Rank School Pts Top Fall Performance
1. Trevecca Nazarene (5 first-place votes) 25 3rd - Midwest Regional
2. Cedarville 18 1st - D&E and CU Tournament
3. Kentucky Wesleyan (1 first-place vote) 14 2nd - CU Tournament
4. Davis & Elkins 13 3rd - OVU and CU Tournament
5. Alderson Broaddus 11 2nd - D&E Tournament
6. Ohio Valley 9 2nd - OVU Tournament
Alderson Broaddus
AB had its best team performance in their first match of the season at the Ohio Valley Invitational posting a team score of 632 and placing fourth. Seth Vannoy led the Battlers recording a 75 and 77 on each of the two days, respectively. The Battlers also competed in larger tournaments like the Midwest Fall Regional and the Rock Barn Tournament. AB finished second at the Senator Shootout by 17 shots and finished fourth in the Cedarville Fall Invite while staying within nine shots from the runner-up team.
From the second tournament on, Adam Jeffries led the team each weekend the Battlers competed. The sophomore posted a score of 152 twice, his best in the fall season, with a 154 as well.
Cedarville University
Cedarville had a successful fall campaign and finished with a pair of team wins. Completing the tournaments’ second round with a better score than the first in the first two contests at Indiana Wesleyan and the NCCAA Midwest Regional, the Yellow Jackets continued to make strides under coach Zach Brown.
Cedarville closed out its fall campaign winning at the Davis & Elkins Shootout with conference foes Alderson Broaddus and Ohio Valley also taking part, and then was victorious at its home event to conclude the fall.
Taylor Holt set a G-MAC 36-hole scoring record in the team’s first tournament of the season. Senior Jacob Forsythe finished first on the team in the four following contests. Playing a consistent 10 rounds in five tournaments, Forsythe averaged a 149 in the fall.
Davis & Elkins
Competing against conference competition in the OVU Invite, D&E Tournament, and Cedarville Invite along with the NCAA Midwest Fall Regional, Davis & Elkins began and ended the fall season well shooting 631 and 636, respectively. The Senators maintained a balanced combined scorecard across the four tournaments with each player finishing with 19 shots of each other. At the Midwest Regional, each player completed the tournament within 10 strokes.
James Sutherland topped the list for D&E in the three tournaments in which he competed. He had a fall season best of 152 at the Cedarville Invite and tied for runner-up honors while chasing the coveted medalist spot.
Kentucky Wesleyan
KWC was able to make entries in three different events during the fall. Shooting more better as a team in each tournament, the Panthers gained steam in the last fall contest while shooting 634 in two rounds.
Patrick Shirmer led the team in each tournament improving by one stroke each time. Against competition in the regional tournaments with the likes of GLVC and GLIAC, along with conference foe Trevecca Nazarene, KWC held its own in the field.
Ohio Valley
OVU experienced success of finishing second in its home tournament, along with having two members placing in the top 10 at the Davis & Elkins Invite. The Fighting Scots shot their second-best score in the NCAA Midwest Regional. OVU played against tough competition that will prepare the team for spring season.
Jorge Herrera found himself in the G-MAC record book with a combined score of 140 in a 36-hole event at Ohio Valley. His score was officially penciled in as the eighth best.
Trevecca Nazarene
Kicking off the fall season with the Smokey Mountain Collegiate Invitational, Trevecca Nazarene finished fourth in the three-round event. Spencer Scarbrough’s score of 69 (-2) in the first round two rounds of the event marked the second-best 18-hole conference score in the league’s young history.
The Trojans played well throughout the fall season, highlighted by the team’s third-place finish in the NCAA Midwest Fall Regional in Chicago. Competing with GLVC teams, TNU finished seventh in a St. Louis regional tournament. To end the fall season, Trevecca Nazarene finished 12th in the TVA Credit Union Classic in Killen, Ala., and announced a new head coach with the appointment of David Head.
Tyler Phillips was a deserving choice for G-MAC Athlete of the Month as he blazed to near even-par scores of 144 and 143 at the Midwest Regional in Chicago and St. Louis, respectively. Those scores are the top and second-best tournament totals in the conference archives.