Knights move to 11th in Golf World Poll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 27 2013                                                                                      

GOLF WORLD ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF APRIL 1 MEN’S NAIA COACHES’ POLL

 Texas Wesleyan Retains Top Spot

Texas Wesleyan was the unanimous No. 1 choice among the 12 voting coaches in the latest Golf World/Nike Golf NAIA men's coaches' polls. The Rams earned their fifth win in seven starts at the UST Mamiya Texas Intercollegiate, their home event, earlier this month. The school also fielded a second five-man team in the event, which finished the equivalent of third overall.

Oklahoma City remained in the No. 2 spot, while CSU-San Marco held firm at No. 3. Lee and Bellevue swapped places, coming in No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.

Three new programs joined the top 10: No. 6 Johnson & Wales, No. 7 Coastal Georgia and No. 9 British Columbia. Three new schools also joined the top 25: No. 21. Marian U.-Indianapolis, No. 24 Northwood (Fla.) and No. 25 Webber International.

Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches’ Poll

April 1, 2013 Issue

NAIA

Rank    Team                                                             Points       Last

1.            Texas Wesleyan (12)                              300              1

2.            Oklahoma City                                           284              2

3.            CSU-San Marcos                                        265              3

4.            Lee                                                                  234              5

5.            Bellevue                                                       221              4

6.            Johnson & Wales                                      219              13

7.            Coastal Georgia                                         210              11

8.            Our Lady of the Lake                              202              10

9.            British Columbia                                       191              12

10.          U. of the Cumberlands                           182              6

11.          Northwood (Texas)                               159              7

12.          The Master’s College                              155              9

13.          Wayland Baptist                                      136              15

14.          William Woods                                        130              16

15.          Northwestern (Iowa)                           121              19

16.          South Carolina-Beaufort                      117              T-20

17.          Grand View                                                110              18

18.          Oklahoma Baptist                                   108              8

19.          Cumberland University                        94                 T-23

20.          Lindsey Wilson                                        73                 22

21.          Marian U.-Indianapolis                         59                 NR

22.          Southern Wesleyan                                56                 T-20

23.          Ashford                                                        47                 T-23

24.          Northwood (Fla.)                                    35                 NR

25           Webber International                            33                 NR

Also receiving votes: Lewis-Clark State, 23; Faulkner, 22; Holy Cross, 22; Rogers State, 13;
Victoria, 13; SCAD Savannah, 7; Southwestern College, 7; Thomas, 7; Concordia (OR), 6; Indiana Wesleyan, 5; Campbellsville, 2; Embry Riddle-Aeronautical (Ariz.), 1; Southeastern, 1.

First-place votes in parenthesis.

Polls conducted by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Voting closed March 22, 2013.



Lady Knights win Bluebonnet Classic!!

Your Lady Knights competed in their home tournament hosted at Tangle Ridge GC on Monday 25th & Tuesday 26th of March.

Competing with a 12 Universities from a mixture of DII, DIII, JUCO and NAIA, the Lady Knights stood out from the crowd to post their 2nd win of the year!

The Lady Knights started Monday in blustery conditions but played very nicely to post a 307 which was only 1 stroke off the school record.

Led by Laura Deleonardis 73, Fariza Zain shot 74 and Senior Esther Kang, Junior Carol Galindo both shot 80 and Daniela Martinez rounded out the scoring with an 81.

Coach Belfield "I was really pleased with this round which was not in the easiest of conditions. It was really good to see us get back on track after the last tournament, I was pleased to see Laura and Fariza both fire scores much more fitting their talents. We have an 8 shot lead and all 5 girls are in the Top 20. We look forward to playing well tomorrow and picking up our trophy!"

Round 2, after a frost delay, brought perfect conditions for scoring. The field responded with a scoring average 3 shots lower than the first round. The Lady Knights struggled at the start but settled down throughout the round and led by Freshman Daniela Martinez 76 and Senior Esther Kang's 77 the Lady Knights fought hard to post a solid 311 and win the tournament by 3 shots!

Coach Belfield "This was an interesting round! With the exception of Daniela nobody seemed to get anything going! We didn't play that bad, we just didn't score as well as we should have. It makes it all the more gratifying that we can play like this and still hold on to the lead ahead of some strong teams. Daniela and Esther posted a good score for the first time this spring and Laura played much better than her score suggests. We look forward to improving our scoring and getting more wins under our belts in time for Nationals!!"

Led by Laura Deleonardis T2nd with 73-78, Fariza Zain (5th 74-80), Daniela Martinez (10th 81-76), Esther Kang (10th 80-77) and Carol Galindo (T23rd 80-86).

RESULTS!!

Knights finish 6th in Florida

Your Northwood Knights took the long trip to beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida to play in the 24th Annual Eagle Invitational which was hosted by

Embry Riddle University at LPGA International GC.

The day before the tournament the players were fortunate enough to play TPC Sawgrass! We were able to play the Dye Valley Course which hosts this years Web.com Tour Championship as well as see the famous 17th hole Island green on the Players Course!

We also got to learn a little more about the history of the game and some of the greats when we visited the World Golf Hall of Fame!

 

The Knights were up against 5 teams ranked inside the Top 25 including Coastal Georgia, Lubbock Christian, Marian University & South Carolina-Beaufort.

The Knights started the first round in perfect conditions shooting 300 to lie in 5th place, the Knights played a little better for most of the second round before faltering at the finish for a second round score of 297, which left the Knights in 4th place overnight.

Coach Belfield "We just didn't play very well in the first round, nothing too bad, nothing too good! We played much better in the second round but finished terrible. We dropped 13 shots over the last 5 holes.
We are 4 shots behind the leaders however and in position to strike!"

Round 3 brought the most perfect golf conditions one could hope to play in! No wind and about 80*! The Knights came out of the blocks expecting to pick up their 3rd win of the year........however the golf wasn't up to our normal standard and the Knights finished 6th.

Coach Belfield "This was easily the worst round of the year for us. We have no excuses. It was absolutely perfect out there, good greens, good course and no wind. We simply didn't score well enough and had no 4 or 5 guy to bring home a good score. It is frustrating because this was a great chance to not only win a tournament but to beat the East Coast teams. We have 3 weeks until our next tournament which will give guys plenty of time to work on their game. The result was not good but apart from that it was great week, one that the guys will remember for a long time!"

Led by Joss Gosling T9th (74-76-72), Derek Trofimczuk placed T15th with 74-74-76,

Daniel Stoakes & Carter Caldwell (T21st & 28th 76-76-75 & 79-71-79)

and Jeremy Novakowski (T49th 76-78-82).

RESULTS!!

Lady Knights finish 7th in DII event

Your Lady Knights travelled to Pottsboro, Texas for the Texoma Chevy Dealers Invitational which was hosted by Texas A&M Commerce University at Tanglewood GC.

A strong field that included No.2 NAIA team Lubbock Christian University

awaited the Lady Knights.

Coach Belfield "The girls have had a few weeks to prepare for this tournament, we all seem to be playing well and we have a great chance to knock off Lubbock again, as well as beat a number of solid DII competition."

The ladies started in frigid conditions but found a way to play well up until the last 2 holes. The Lady Knights shot a 336 to lie in 6th place overnight.

Coach Belfield "This is a tough course at the best of times and it was absolutely freezing, especially when we started, however we found a way to score decent until the last couple of holes. We dropped 13 shots on the final 2 holes, this was a very disappointing finish for the girls especially considering we fought so hard the rest of the round."

The Lady Knights came out in better conditions, albeit still cold, in the second round. Lying in 6th place overnight but only 13 shots off the lead held by Lubbock Christian.
Again the Lady Knights played decent for 16 holes before faltering at the finish to shoot 329.

Coach Belfield "Quite honestly I was livid, it doesn't happen very often but I was really disappointed in the girls. We looked tired & like our minds were already on spring break. These 2 scores are our highest of the year, we went from genuinely thinking we had a shot at winning to finishing 7th. I hold my teams to the highest standard, today we didn't meet that standard. The girls now have a break which should help & give them a bit of rest before we head into the rest of the year."

Led by Laura Deleonardis T6th with 80-79, Fariza Zain (T15th 81-81), Daniela Martinez (31st 81-77), Esther Kang (T53rd 91-85) and Carol Galindo (T66th 94-85), the Lady Knights finished 7th for the Tournament.

RESULTS

Knights sign Colombian starlet!

Head Coach Ben Belfield would like to announce the signing of

Juan Esteban Gallegos Villegas for the 2013/14 season.

Juan is from Bogota, Colombia and is currently ranked 2061 best amateur in the World & No.7 ranked amateur in Colombia.

Juan has played in a number of national tournaments, he recently finished 27th at the AJGA in Puerto Rico and enjoyed playing in all the major South American Amateur Championships.

Coach Belfield "I am extremely pleased to have signed Juan. He is an exciting prospect! He has shown that he can shoot low scores and play consistent golf.

He has been able to play a number of the top South American tournaments which should help him in his transition to the USA.

It is an exciting time for Juan, he is the first South American player I have ever signed and will be the start of another great tradition of players at Northwood.

I look forward to seeing how much he can get out of himself over the next 4 years!"

 

 

Lady Knights move up to 9th in latest NAIA poll!

By Travis Rae, NAIA Communications and Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - SCAD Savannah (Ga.) is the new number one in the first edition of the 2013 NAIA Women's Golf Coaches' Poll, the national office announced on Friday. The Bees received 8-of-12 first-place votes for 306 points to earn its first No. 1 ranking.

SCAD Savannah won its own tournament, the SCAD Spring Invitational on Feb. 18. The Bees defeated 18 other teams and were led by a third place finish from Sofia Molinaro. Two weeks later, SCAD Savannah took fourth in the Armstrong Atlantic (Ga.) Pirate Women's Invitational, hosted by NCAA Division II Armstrong Atlantic. Leading the Bees was Alazne Urizar with a second place finish.

Moving up one spot is No. 2 Lubbock Christian (Texas), who received two first-place votes and tallied 294 points. Jumping into the top five is No. 3 Cal State San Marcos. The Cougars, who were No. 7 last week, tallied the last two first-place votes and notched 291 points. Holding steady at No. 4 is Oklahoma City with 288 points, while No. 5 British Columbia rounds out the top five collecting 275 points.

No. 9 Northwood (Texas) made the biggest leap in the Top 25 poll as the Knights improved six positions from No. 15 to No. 9. Northwood has wins over Lubbock Christian and No. 12 Victoria (B.C.) this season.

Three teams who were not in the preseason poll join the first regular season edition of the Coaches' Poll: No. 22 Mobile (Ala.), No. 24 Oklahoma Baptist and No. 25 Rogers State (Okla.). Mobile won the Spring Hill Badger Invite by 26 strokes on March 5. Oklahoma Baptist competed in the SCAD Spring Invitational and finished 8th out of 13. Rogers State took 10th out of 21 teams at the Texoma Chevy Dealers Lion Intercollegiate hosted by NCAA Division II Texas A&M-Commerce.

On the other end of the spectrum, Concordia (Ore.) (No. 19), Texas at Brownsville (No. 23) and Spring Hill (Ala.) (No. 25) all fell out of the poll.

The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) leads all conferences with five teams in the Top 25. Representing the SAC is Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma City, No. 13 Wayland Baptist (Texas), Oklahoma Baptist and Rogers State (Okla.). The Sun Conference follows with four teams while three conferences follow with three teams apiece.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups. The second regular-season Top 25 poll will be announced on March 29, 2013.

Notes: (All information dates back to 2000 season) Ten different programs have been ranked No. 1 ... Oklahoma City owns the most No. 1-rankings with 40, followed by British Columbia with 13 ... No other programs have been listed first more than three total times ... The Stars were listed at No. 1 for all of 2008, ‘07, ‘04, and ‘03 and the Thunderbirds topped the list for all of 2001 ...Bellevue and Coastal Georgia are making its first appearances in the poll.
2013 NAIA Women's Golf Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 1

RANK	LAST	SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)	TOTAL POINTS
1	2	SCAD Savannah (Ga.) (8)	306
2	3	Lubbock Christian (Texas) (2)	294
3	7	Cal State San Marcos (2)	291
4	4	Oklahoma City	288
5	1	British Columbia	275
6	5	Embry-Riddle (Fla.)	264
7	6	William Woods (Mo.)	254
8	8	Lee (Tenn.)	247
9	15	Northwood (Texas)	215
10	9	Northwood (Fla.)	213
11	13	Wayland Baptist (Texas)	203
12	14	Victoria (B.C.)	201
13	11	Cumberlands (Ky.)	194
14	12	South Carolina Beaufort	183
15	10	Cumberland (Tenn.)	174
16	17	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)	168
17	12	Bethel (Ind.)	158
18	22	Coastal Georgia	135
19	20	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	133
20	18	Bellevue (Neb.)	132
21	21	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	111
22	RV	Mobile (Ala.)	91
23	24	William Penn (Iowa)	80
24	RV	Oklahoma Baptist	76
25	RV	Rogers State (Okla.)	55

Others receiving votes: Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 53; Houston-Victoria (Texas) 45; Westminster (Utah) 45; Texas at Brownsville 42; Grand View (Iowa) 30; Spring Hill (Ala.) 28; Webber International (Fla.) 6.

Knights ranked 12th in latest NAIA poll

By Travis Rae, Communications and Sports Information Intern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Texas Wesleyan remains No. 1 in the first regular season edition of the 2013 NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Friday. The Rams collected 16-of-17 first-place votes and earned 467 points en route to its second-straight No. 1 rating.

Texas Wesleyan had a second place finish at the Claude Jacobs Invitational on Feb. 18, three strokes behind Northwood (TX.). Two weeks later, Texas Wesleyan won the 2013 NAIA Contender tournament, when they won by 24 strokes over NCAA Oklahoma Christian.

No. 2 Oklahoma City held steady with 449 points. Moving ahead one spot to No. 3 is Cumberlands (Ky.) with 429 points. Falling one spot is No. 4 Cal State San Marcos receiving 423 points. Rounding out the top five is No. 5 Bellevue (Neb.), who received the last first-place vote and tallied 393 points.

Joining the Coaches' Poll is No. 18 St. Thomas (Fla.) and No. 25 Webber International (Fla.), who both come from The Sun Conference. St. Thomas finished fourth at The Master's College (Calif.) Spring Invitational. A week later the Bobcats finished second out of 15 teams in the Sand Shark Classic (S.C.). Webber International was runner-up at the Warner Invitational (Fla.) on March 5.

Falling out of the Top 25 is Southwestern (Kan.) (No. 24).

The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) and The Sun Conference boasts the most representatives in the Top 25 with four members each. The Association of Independents Institutions and Southern States Athletic Conference follow with three teams.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups. The second regular-season Top 25 poll will be announced on March 29, 2013.

Notes (All information as of 2000): Texas Wesleyan is making its second-ever appearance at No. 1 ... Defending national champion Oklahoma City boasts the most No. 1 rankings with 36 ... Former NAIA members Oklahoma Christian (25) and Simon Fraser (B.C.) (2) are the only other schools to appear at No. 1 more than once ... Oklahoma City has never been ranked outside of the top five ... Since 2002, Texas Wesleyan and British Columbia, who garnered the top ranking in the 2009 preseason poll, are the only schools other than Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Christian to appear at No. 1.

2012-13 NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 1

RANK	LAST TIME	SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)	TOTAL POINTS
1	1	Texas Wesleyan (16)	467
2	2	Oklahoma City	449
3	4	Cumberlands (Ky.)	429
4	3	Cal State San Marcos	423
5	5	Bellevue (Neb.) (1)	393
6	7	Lee (Tenn.)	390
7	14	Johnson & Wales (Fla.)	364
8	11	Coastal Georgia	343
9	9	British Columbia	341
10	12	Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)	337
11	8	The Master’s (Calif.)	321
12	10	Northwood (Texas)	286
13	20	Wayland Baptist (Texas)	274
14	15	Northwestern (Iowa)	268
15	13	Mount Mercy (Iowa)	253
16	18	William Woods (Mo.)	224
17	7	Oklahoma Baptist	216
18	RV	St. Thomas (Fla.)	212
19	16	Grand View (Iowa)	203
20	21	South Carolina Beaufort	191
21	23	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	171
22	20	Lubbock Christian (Texas)	155
23	22	Southern Wesleyan (S.C.)	129
24	19	Ashford (Iowa)	126
25	25	Marian (Ind.)	72
25	RV	Webber International (Fla.)	72

Others receiving votes: Faulkner (Ala.) 63; Southwestern (Kan.) 60; Rogers State (Okla.) 53; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 38; Concordia (Ore.) 32; Northwood (Fla.) 15; Victoria (B.C.) 9; Westminster (Utah) 8; Spring Hill (Ala.) 5; Bethany (Kan.) 5; Holy Cross (Ind.) 4; Davenport (Mich.) 4; Cumberland (Tenn.) 4; Morningside (Iowa) 3; Indiana Wesleyan 3.

Knights finish home tournament with 8th place finish!

Your Northwood Knights finished 8th in their home tournament which was played at TPC Four Seasons in Irving, Texas.

A field of 15 teams from all over the country ventured to TPC Four Seasons, some of the best teams in the nation were at this tournament including teams ranked 1, 2, 6, 10, 12, 16, 17 and 20.

Coach Belfield "After the tough time we had last week in San Antonio, I am expecting a bounce back. We are looking forward to hosting this tournament and having such a strong field is what we are all about!"

The first round started in frigid conditions which led to a higher scoring average than expected. The Knights opened with a decent round of 303 which although 20 shots behind the leaders was in T3rd.
Led by a solid 73 by Joss Gosling, he was backed up by 74 from Derek Trofimczuk, 78 from Carter Caldwell & Daniel Stoakes.

The second round brought nothing but frustration and poor play however as the Knights struggled home to 315 which left them in 9th place.

The third round brought cold winds from the north and much tougher scoring conditions.
The Knights struggled home to a 316 and a 8th place finish.
Joss Gosling placed 4th overall to have another good tournament.

Coach Belfield "This was a very disappointing tournament from almost every aspect. We didn't only play poorly, we lost our composure a number of times which was different & difficult to watch. The guys looked tired and worn down after 3 tough weeks of golf, whilst this is no excuse it will be good to get away for a few days before we crack on with the rest of the season!"

Led by Joss Gosling 4th (73-73-77), Daniel Stoakes placed 19th with 78-76-77, Derek Trofimczuk & Carter Caldwell  (T56th & T59th 74-85-86 & 78-85-83) and Travis Kemp (T73rd 94-81-79).

 

RESULTS!!