MITCHELL, S.D. – The Dakota Wesleyan University men’s and women’s golf teams were both extremely successful during the fall portion of their 2008-09 seasons, and as a result, both Tiger teams are ranked in the Top 25 NAIA Golf Fall Ratings, which were released on Dec. 3.
The DWU women’s team received 165 total points in the poll, and are ranked 18th in the 2008 NAIA Women’s Golf Fall Rating. The Tiger men’s squad received 178 points, and are the 21st-ranked team in the 2008 NAIA Men’s Golf Fall Rating.
“All the credit goes to our fine student-athletes,” DWU head men’s and women’s golf coach Adam Anderson said. “It is a very exciting time to be associated with our program. We are definitely improving every year.”
Dakota Wesleyan is one of only 11 NAIA schools to have both its men’s and women’s golf teams simultaneously rated in the Top 25 of the 2008 Golf Fall Ratings. The other 10 schools are California Baptist University, the University of British Columbia, William Woods University (Mo.), Berry College (Ga.), the University of Victoria (B.C.), Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho), Northwood University (Texas), Lindenwood University (Mo.) and Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.).
“It is an honor to receive this kind of respect across the country for both teams,” Anderson said. “Often, it is quite tough for a northern-climate school to receive these accolades in our sport, specifically, but we have worked very hard to get to this point.”
DWU’s men’s team was the only Great Plains Athletic Conference school to receive any votes in the 2008 NAIA Men’s Golf Fall Rating, and the Tiger women were joined in the Top 25 by the rival University of Sioux Falls, which is ranked 24th.
The NAIA Golf Ratings only come out once each fall, in early December. There will be four ratings released in the spring, and a final rating, which will be released just prior to the NAIA National Tournament selections. The spring ratings will be released on Feb. 24, March 24, April 7 and April 21, with the final rating slated to be released on May 7.
In eight tournaments this fall, DWU won four titles and added a second-place finish, two thirds and a sixth-place finish. The Tigers also have a 19-shot lead after the two fall Great Plains Athletic Conference Qualifier meets, so DWU has put itself in great position to win its second-straight conference title in the spring.
Individually, Tiger junior Nick Gates and senior Brett Abbotts are first and second in the race for GPAC Men’s Golfer-of-the-Year. This fall, Abbotts was named the GPAC Men’s Golfer-of-the-Week in back-to-back weeks, and Gates also shared the honor once.
The Tigers will try to protect their conference leads and win dual GPAC titles in the two spring GPAC qualifiers. The two men’s meets will be held on Monday, April 6, in Hastings, Neb., and on Tuesday, April 28, in Sioux City, Iowa. The women’s GPAC meets will be held Monday, April 13, in Fremont, Neb., and Friday, April 24, in Orange City, Iowa. The rest of the Tigers’ spring schedules should be finalized soon.
2008 NAIA Men’s Golf Fall Rating
1. University of British Columbia (10). 2. Oklahoma City University (6). 3. Oklahoma Christian University. 4. Wayland Baptist University. 5. University of South Carolina-Beaufort (1). 6. Malone University (Ohio). 7. Oklahoma Baptist University. 8. University of Victoria (B.C.). 9. Berry College (Ga.). 10. Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.). 11. Lee University (Tenn.). 12. Texas Wesleyan University. T13. Lindenwood University (Mo.). T13. Southeastern University (Fla.). 15. Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.). 16. Weber International University (Fla.). 17. Missouri Valley College. 18. Northwood University (Texas). 19. Johnson & Wales University (Fla.). 20. Southern Nazarene University (Okla.). 21. DAKOTA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY (S.D.). 22. Saint Ambrose University (Iowa). 23. William Woods University (Mo.). 24. Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho). 25. California Baptist University.
Excerpts written by: Matt Higgins, DWU Sports Information Director
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