The Little Rock men’s and women’s teams have been picked as the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference golf favorites in a vote of league head coaches released on Tuesday. Eastern Illinois was selected to finish sixth in the OVC women’s standings with the Panther men picked eighth.
On the men’s side, the newcomer Trojans, who ended the Fall season ranked 39th nationally in the GolfStat National Rankings, picked up eight first-place votes and 64 total points in being tabbed the favorites. Tennessee Tech picked up the other first-place vote and was picked second (57 points) while SIUE tallied 49 points in being tabbed third. Two-time defending champion UT Martin was picked fourth (41) and followed by Morehead State (39), newcomers Southern Indiana (25) and Lindenwood (23), Eastern Illinois (15) and Tennessee State (11)
The women’s vote saw Little Rock pick up six first-place votes and 36 points and top Morehead State, who received the other first-place vote and 29 points. Tennessee Tech was third (28) and followed by Lindenwood (15), Southern Indiana (14), Eastern Illinois (13) and Tennessee State (12).
EIU women’s team closed out the fall season with a second place finish at the Alabama A&M Invite. Freshman Ashley Chen had the team’s best stroke average in the fall while ranking as EIU’s top finisher in three of four tournaments. She would close out the fall in a tie for eighth at the Alabama A&M Invite. Teammate Katelind Winterland also tied for eighth at the Alabama A&M event and ranked as the Panthers top finisher in the season opening event, the F&M Bank APSU Invitational. EIU opens the spring season on Feb. 25 at the Gardner-Webb Invitational in North Carolina.
On the men’s side Pierce Allord spirit Preston Smith both tied as the Panthers top golfers during the fall season with both posting a stroke average of 76.6. Smith had the best finish in the fall for EIU placing 18th at the North Alabama Tournament. Smith and Keegan Gowin both posted the best individual round of the fall for EIU with both carding a round of 70. EIU opens the spring season on Feb. 10 at the Carpenter Chaney Classic in Florida.
The OVC Women’s Golf Championship will be contested April 16-18 on the Fighting Joe Course at RTJ at The Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The men’s event will be held April 23-26 at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Both reclassifying teams, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, are eligible to compete and win the OVC Golf Championship this season. Should a transitioning school win an OVC Championship, the AQ shall be awarded to the tournament runner-up (or next highest finisher if the runner-up is also a reclassifying team). For men’s golf, which uses match play to determine its champion, if the winner and runner-up are both reclassifying teams, the representative would be the next highest seed going into match play.
2022-23 OVC Golf Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
Men’s Predicted Order of Finish
1. Little Rock (8 first-place votes) – 64 points
2. Tennessee Tech (1) – 57
3. SIUE – 49
4. UT Martin – 41
5. Morehead State – 39
6. Southern Indiana – 25
7. Lindenwood – 23
8. Eastern Illinois – 15
9. Tennessee State – 11
Women’s Predicted Order of Finish
1. Little Rock (6 first-place votes) – 36 points
2. Morehead State (1) – 29
3. Tennessee Tech – 28
4. Lindenwood – 15
5. Southern Indiana – 14
6. Eastern Illinois – 13
7. Tennessee State – 12th