2018 Conference Carolinas Men's Golf Preview and Golfers to Watch
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The 2018 Conference Carolinas Men's Golf preseason poll has been released. Limestone College will enter the season as the favorite to win the Conference Carolinas Men's Golf Championship, according to Conference Carolinas coaches.
1. Limestone College: The Saints earned their 70 points from Conference coaches all on first-place votes.
Limestone won its third straight Conference Carolinas Men's Golf Championship in 2017, while also earning a team bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Golf South/Southeast Super Regional Championship. The Saints have lots of talent back in 2018, including Conference Championship medalist Will Woodard and all-conference selection Filip Sandberg. A fourth straight Conference Carolinas championship in 2018 is a strong possibility for Limestone.
Players to Watch:
- Brett Krekorian (Jr.)
- *Filip Sandberg (Sr.)
- *Will Woodard (Sr.)
2. Barton College: The Bulldogs nabbed 61 points and one first-place vote to enter 2018 ranked second.
Barton finished as runner-up to Limestone in 2017. The Barton plane should be set for takeoff this season as All-Conference Carolinas performers Travis Broome and Justin Plane are back to lead the Bulldogs
Players to Watch:
- Bryson Boyette (Fr.)
- *Travis Broome (Sr.)
- *Justin Plane (Jr.)
3. North Greenville University: The Crusaders of North Greenville enter this season ranked third with 56 points. NGU ended last season fifth in the Conference Championship.
Evan Gfeller, a 2017 all-conference selection, is poised to have a big senior season and take the Crusaders to new heights.
Players to Watch:
- *Evan Gfeller (Sr.)
- Steh Robertson (Jr.)
4. Belmont Abbey College: The Crusaders of Belmont Abbey check in just three points behind third place with 53 points. The Abbey tied for third last season at the Men's Golf Championship.
Belmont Abbey returns the reigning Conference Carolinas Golfer of the Year in Nick Stafford. Stafford had a stellar 2017 and will look to make his way back to the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship.
Players to Watch:
- Levi Kettelhut (Jr.)
- *Nick Stafford (Sr.)
5. University of Mount Olive: The Trojans tallied 49 points and are fifth-place to open 2018. Mount Olive finished last season in sixth-place at the Golf Championship.
A pair of All-Conference Carolinas golfers return for UMO in Nick Adams and John Thatch and should be the focal points of the teams' success in 2018.
Players to Watch:
- *Nick Adams (Sr.)
- *John Thatch (Sr.)
6. King University: The Tornado picked up 39 points to enter the season in sixth. King tied for third at last year's Conference Carolinas Golf Championship.
Players to Watch:
- Alex Bradford (Fr.)
- Alex Summers (Fr.)
- Robert Wilkinson (Jr.)
7. Erskine College: The Fleet landed 34 points from Conference coaches. Erskine turned in an eighth-place finish at the 2017 Golf Championship.
Players to Watch:
- Giacoma Cavadini (Sr.)
- Jonathan Costello (Jr.)
- Zach Mclain (Fr.)
8. Southern Wesleyan: The Warriors collected 30 points and close out the poll in eighth-place.
Southern Wesleyan finished ninth at the 2017 Golf Championship, but return all-conference selection Ty Campbell for the 2018 campaign.
Players to Watch:
- *Ty Campbell (So.)
- Zach Huebner (Fr.)
- Eric Shea (Fr.)
*denotes 2017 All-Conference Carolinas selection
2018 Men's Golf Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Limestone (7) |
70 |
| 2. Barton (1) |
61 |
| 3. North Greenville |
56 |
| 4. Belmont Abbey |
53 |
| 5. Mount Olive |
49 |
| 6. King |
39 |
| 7. Erskine |
34 |
| 8. Southern Wesleyan |
30 |
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 11 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, and Southern Wesleyan. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.