SAU golf team picked to finish 3rd in GAC

The GAC recently released irs 2023-24 men's golf coaches preseason poll and the SAU Muleriders landed in third place with a point total of 52 while receiving two of the nine first place votes for the first time in program history. Southern Arkansas comes off its most historic season to date. The Muleriders recorded the program's highest finish at the GAC tournament championship with a second-place performance that propelled the squad to Winona, Minnesota for the NCAA DII Central/Midwest Regional.

Southern Arkansas then forced and survived a three-team playoff to earn the program's first appearance in the NCAA DII National Tournament. The expectations for SAU are all but low as Coach Neriah Brown returns one graduate student, three seniors, two juniors, and two sophomores while only having four newcomers.

The group that pushed the program to new heights seeks after a higher reward, and the experience needed is present. The Muleriders return leaders in senior All-American and All-GAC first-team Caleb Miller, senior All-GAC honorable mention Connor Harrington, and junior All-GAC honorable mention Logan McDonald.

In addition to his All-American nomination on the course, Miller was also selected as an All-American in the classroom along with Harrington returning as a back-to-back GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete and CSC All-Academic selection. Other returners for SAU include graduate student Seth Hopkins, senior Colby Light, junior Alex Gerrard, and sophomores Will Blake and Luke Cote.

The newcomers include junior transfer Wil Griffin II (Eastern Kentucky) along with freshmen Collin Spangler, Stewart Druin, and Chase Garrett. With Southern Arkansas' third place allotment, the Natural State holds the line for the top three in the league with Harding just two points ahead (54 points; one first-place) and Henderson State in front by ten (62 points; six first-place). Following last year's success, Southern Arkansas is geared up for the upcoming fall campaign as they begin at Muskogee, Oklahoma for the Northeastern State Classic (Sep.18-19) followed by the Shang Ri la Invitational hosted by Missouri Southern (Sep.

25-26 at Monkey Island, Okla.). Southern Arkansas will then travel to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the Battle for the Belt hosted by Henderson State (Oct. 2-3). The Muleriders head back to the Sooner State for their final contests of the fall schedule as they compete in the Super Regional Preview hosted by Southern Nazarene in Edmond, Oklahoma (Oct.

16-17) then to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Tulsa Cup hosted by Rogers State (Oct. 23-24).