The defending Southern States Athletic Conference Champions Dalton State women’s golf team will begin the 2015-2016 season on top of the conference.
The SSAC office announced Thursday that the Roadrunners received all nine first place votes and 81 points in the conference pre-season polling of coaches.
The 2014-2015 team captured the SSAC Championship by 21 points over the University of Mobile in Montgomery. They went on to finish in a tie for second in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Tournament in Savannah.
Caroline Griffin was conference tourney medalist and Julia McQuilken capture the NAIA Individual Championship.
“We are extremely honored to be chosen preseason number one,” said Coach Jim McGrew. “We know how good our conference was last year and they will be even better this year.”
McGrew is cautious. “We know this respect is due to what we were able to accomplish last year. Even though it is flattering we realize that we have not accomplished anything this year. Our goal is to go to work every day and try and get better. All that will ultimately matter is how we do in April at the conference tournament.”
William Carey (Miss.) is ranked second with 69 points and Mobile follows with 57 and Coastal Georgia 43.
Dalton State women’s golf will tee-off the 2014-2015 season on September 14th and 15th at the Pine Lakes Golf Course on Jekyll Island.
The SSAC Preseason Poll:
1. Dalton State (Ga.) 81 (9 First-Place Votes)
2. William Carey (Miss.) 69
3. Mobile (Ala.) 57
4. Coastal Georgia 54
5. Faulkner (Ala.) 48
6. Loyola (La.) 40
T7. Brenau (Ga.) 22
T7. Bethel (Tenn.) 22
9. Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 12
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The defending Southern States Athletic Conference champion Dalton State Men’s Golf team started their second year of post season eligibility in second place in the conference.
The poll of conference coaches released Thursday had defensing NAIA National Champions Coastal on top. The Mariners received all 10 first place votes and 100 points. The Roadrunners tallied 90 points and Mobile and Faulkner gathered 76 and 73 points.
The Roadrunners captured last year’s SSAC crown at Montgomery Country Club by two strokes over Mobile and four over Coastal Georgia. Dalton State’s Sean Elliott was Individual Champion in the SSAC and the NAIA Tournaments. His 16-under at the national tournament broke a 60-year-old 72-hole National Championship scoring record.
Dalton State All-Conference Team members Elliott, Sean Nix, Chase Jones and Anthony D’Angelo all return.
“It’s always nice to get respect in our conference,” said Coach Ben Rickett. “We have a strong conference with the two-time defending champions. They obviously deserve the respect after what they have accomplished during the past couple of years. They set the standard in our conference. “We are obviously doing something right, but we are not where we want to be.
We need to continue to make progress.”
Dalton State’s men tee-off the season on September 4th and 5th in the Blue Raider Fall Kick-Off at The Pines at Lindsey Wilson in Columbia, Ky. They are the only non NCAA Division I team playing at The Farm on September 11th, 12th, and 13th for the Carpet Capital Collegiate Tournament. The field includes defending national champs LSU.
SA Men’s Golf Preseason Poll:
1. Coastal Georgia 100 (10 First-Place Votes)
2. Dalton State (Ga.) 90
3. Mobile (Ala.) 76
4. Faulkner (Ala.) 73
5. William Carey (Miss.) 53
6. Bethel (Tenn.) 49
7. Loyola (La.) 42
8. Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 29
9. Brewton-Parker (Ga.) 22
10. Blue Mountain (Miss.) 16