USC Aiken Golf Ranked #1 in Nation; 5 PBC Teams in Top 25
USC Aiken Golf Ranked #1 in Nation; 5 PBC Teams in Top 25
The USC Aiken Pacers are the top-ranked golf team in the nation in
the new Golf World/Nike Division II Coaches Poll released on Oct.
15. The Pacers received three first-place votes and 340 total
points to take the top spot from West Florida, who slides to
eighth. In all, five PBC golf team are nationally ranked with
Columbus State at #5, GCSU at #6, Lander ranked 11th and Clayton
State ranked 21st. With 20% of the ranked teams in the nation, the
Peach Belt has more than any other conference.
The Pacers have had a phenomenal fall season with two wins in their
five tournaments. USCA began the year with a win in the 15-team
Kiawah Island Invitational and followed that with back-to-back top
10s at the Division I-laden Raines Development Intercollegiate and
an impressive fifth-place at the 20-team Division II Preview in
Blaine, Wash. But the #1 spot was awarded after the Pacers won the
Aflac/Cougar Invitational which featured 12 nationally-ranked
programs and every PBC team except one. USCA held off Florida
Southern, now ranked #2 in the nation, by three strokes and host
Columbus State by five.
Columbus State did not start playing their fall schedule until the
end of September, but after finishing ahead of USCA in fourth place
at the Division II Preview and third at their own Aflac/Cougar
Invitational, the Cougars jumped from 11th to 5th in the new poll.
Columbus State still has two tournaments left to play in the coming
weeks.
GCSU actually has the lowest team stroke average in the PBC at
287.6 and is now ranked #6 in the nation. The Bobcats have finished
no worse than sixth in any of the four tournaments they have played
in with an impressive second-place at the Raines Development Group
Intercollegiate, which had 16 Division I teams, and third-place
finishes at Kiawah Island and the State Farm Laker Collegiate.
Lander went from unranked to #11 in the nation thanks to their
fourth-place finish at the Aflac/Cougar and their first tournament
victory of the year at the Queens Invitational. The Bearcats began
the season finishing second at the Coker Intercolleigate and also
came in fifth at the State Farm Laker.
Clayton State actually dropped from 12th to 21st after finishing
10th at the Aflac/Cougar, but will move up again thanks to their
second-place finish at the Queens Invitational, which was held
after the voting had completed on the current poll. Clayton State
earned their high rankings early with a third-place at the Orchard
Fall Invitational and another third at their own State Farm Laker
Collegiate.
Florida Southern and Sonoma State are tied for second in the GCAA
poll. UNC Pembroke and Armstrong Atlantic State also received votes
in the poll, but were not among the top 25.
You can see the complete GCAA Poll here.