Dalton State (Ga.), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Make Significant Movement into Top 10 in NAIA Men's Golf Rating
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dalton State (Ga.) and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) made significant jumps into a tie at No. 6, Dalton moving eight spots and Lindsey four, while Keiser (Fla.) claimed all 17 first-place votes in the final fall edition of the NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25.
Missouri Valley was the big mover outside the top 10, from No. 16 to No. 11, while three teams - Cumberlands (Ky.), Indiana Wesleyan, and Taylor (Ind.) - moved into the Top 25 at Nos. 23, 24, and 25. The rating breaks for the winter and returns in March, with the first conference ratings of the spring season March 19, and the first top 25 on the spring side of 2025-26 set for March 20.
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1. Keiser (Fla.) The Seahawks were unanimous at No. 1, closing the fall at the Citrus Intercollegiate, where they improved from seventh to fifth, 25 shots behind team champion Florida Southern. Yann Ferrando led Keiser in the event, finishing fourth, individually, with a pair of rounds under par to close the 54-hole tournament. |
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2. Reinhardt (Ga.) Reinhardt remained No. 2 after vaulting 18 spots into the second spot in the last rating, ending the fall with a first-place finish at the AAC Fall Preview Oct. 27-28. After the last rating, the Eagles also finished second at the Bojangles Invite, hosted by Tennessee Wesleyan. |
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3. Marian (Ind.) The Knights are up two to No. 3 after a strong fall, winning three events and finishing eighth at the Music City Collegiate. |
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4. Oklahoma City Oklahoma City re-enters the top five after a brief fall to No. 7. The Stars have completed the fall, finishing with back-to-back wins. OCU begins the spring Feb. 23, in the Texas Invitational hosted by Friends (Kan.), at Gentle Creek Golf Course in Prosper, Texas. |
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5. Friends (Kan.) The Falcons climbed four spots, finishing the fall by winning the KCAC Match Play in Dodge City Oct. 20-21. |
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6. Dalton State (Ga.) Dalton State won the Bojangles Tennessee Intercollegiate to close the fall, posting a two-round total of 2-under-par, edging out Reinhardt (Ga.) by a single stroke. |
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7. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) The Blue Raiders closed the fall with a win in the Mid-South Fall Preview, 6-over for the event, eight shots ahead of Cumberlands (Ky.). |
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8. Ave Maria (Fla.) The Gyrenes were 2-1 at the Nancy Nichols Match Play, Oct. 27-28, beating Florida College and Southeastern (Fla.), both by scores of 3.5-1.5. |
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9. British Columbia UBC was second at the Canada West championships in late October, edged by UBCO Okanagan by two shots after holding a three-shot lead through the first 18 holes. The spring season begins for the Thunderbirds Feb. 2 in Somis, Calif., at the CSUN Invitational. |
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10. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) The Pioneers were second at the Heart of America Men’s Golf Preview. Missouri Valley claimed the tournament, by 16 strokes, capping a fall with three second-place finishes and a win for MNU, at Grand View.
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| Trend | Rank | Last Time | Row Labels | Final Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | 1 | 1 | Keiser (Fla.) | 497 |
| ● | 2 | 2 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 477 |
| ▲ | 3 | 5 | Marian (Ind.) | 456 |
| ▲ | 4 | 7 | Oklahoma City | 441 |
| ▲ | 5 | 9 | Friends (Kan.) | 427 |
| ▲ | T-6 | 14 | Dalton State (Ga.) | 393 |
| ▲ | T-6 | 10 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 393 |
| ▼ | 8 | 6 | Ave Maria (Fla.) | 391 |
| ▲ | 9 | 11 | British Columbia | 378 |
| ▼ | 10 | 8 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 330 |
| ▲ | 11 | 16 | Missouri Valley | 323 |
| ▼ | 12 | 3 | Coastal Georgia | 308 |
| ▼ | 13 | 4 | Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) | 304 |
| ▼ | 14 | 13 | OUAZ (Ariz.) | 270 |
| ▼ | 15 | 12 | Webber International (Fla.) | 266 |
| ▼ | 16 | 15 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 259 |
| ▲ | 17 | 19 | Science and Arts (Okla.) | 246 |
| ▲ | 18 | 20 | Texas Wesleyan | 213 |
| ▲ | 19 | 21 | Northwestern Ohio | 195 |
| ▼ | 20 | 17 | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | 171 |
| ▲ | 21 | 24 | Victoria (B.C.) | 165 |
| ▼ | 22 | 18 | Point (Ga.) | 146 |
| ▲ | 23 | RV | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 123 |
| ▲ | 24 | RV | Indiana Wesleyan | 109 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | Taylor (Ind.) | 107 |
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Received Votes: Hastings (Neb.) 104, Southeastern (Fla.) 98, William Woods (Mo.) 76, Oregon Tech 42, Northwestern (Iowa) 26, William Carey (Miss.) 18, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 15, Bellevue (Neb.) 6, Grand View (Iowa) 3, Columbia International (S.C.) 2, Midway (Ky.) 2. Dropped out of Top 25: Hastings (Neb.), Southeastern (Fla.), William Woods (Mo.). |
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Key:
RV - Receiving Votes
NR - Not Ranked
Climbed -▲
Dropped -▼
Steady - ●
Ratings Methodology
- The rating is rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team’s rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”.
