Aug. 29, 2007
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's golf team is ranked 12th in the nation in the Golf World/Nike Golf Division I Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released on Wednesday.
Stanford, the defending NCAA champion, is the top-ranked team in the poll after receiving 19 first-place votes. Alabama is second and received three first-place votes and is followed by Georgia (three first-place votes), Florida (one first-place vote) and UCLA (six first-place votes).
USC is sixth, followed by Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Charlotte. Texas A&M is 11th, while the Rebels are 12th.
Jamie Lovemark, a sophomore at USC, is No. 1 on Golf World's list of the "Top 50 Male Players to Watch." UNLV senior Jarred Texter was the Rebels' only player included in the top 50. Texter turned in six top-10 finishes as a junior last year and was honorable mention for All-America honors. He recorded a 71.40 stroke average in a team-high 35 rounds last year.
UNLV, which enters its 21st season under head coach Dwaine Knight, will open the 2007-08 season at the Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational in Toledo, Ohio on Sept. 10. The squad returns eight letterwinners from last season.
2007-08 GOLF WORLD/NIKE GOLF COACHES' PRESEASON POLLRANK TEAM POINTS 2007 NCAA FINISH1. Stanford (19) 759 Win2. Alabama (3) 714 6th3. Georgia (3) 679 2nd4. Florida (1) 659 9th5. UCLA (6) 636 7th6. USC 609 MC7. Oklahoma State 587 15th8. Georgia Tech 501 8th9. Clemson 465 DNP10. Charlotte 411 T3rd11. Texas A&M 366 DNP12. UNLV 362 DNP13. Coastal Carolina 338 5th14. Tennessee 331 MC15. Florida State 325 T13th16. Lamar 291 T3rd17. Duke 283 T-1318. Arizona State 278 MC19. Louisville 189 MC20. South Carolina 180 T11th21. E. Tenn. State 178 MC22. Texas 172 T11th23. Wake Forest 166 MC24. Georgia State 142 MC25. Arizona 138 MC
Others receiving votes: Minnesota, 129; BYU, 115; Tulsa, 107; North Carolina, 94; Auburn, 57; Texas Tech, 31; Michigan State, 21; Washington, 12; East Carolina, 11; Northwestern, 11; Vanderbilt, 11; TCU, 9; Mississippi, 5; Central Florida, 5; Chattanooga, 4; Virginia Tech, 3; New Mexico, 2; Pepperdine, 2; Southeastern Louisiana, 2; Penn State, 1; UC-Irvine, 1.
