UNC Pembroke, Flagler Ranked in Women’s Golf Presesason Top 25

CORAL SPRINGS, FLA – UNC Pembroke and Flagler have both received a top-25 national ranking as the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) released their preseason poll.  UNC Pembroke will begin the 2011-12 season #16 in the nation, while Flagler will begin #22.  This will be the first time the Peach Belt Conference will begin a women’s golf season with two nationally-ranked programs, both UNCP and Flagler finished the 2010-11 year with top-25 rankings.

UNC Pembroke won their first PBC Championship in 2011 and played in the NCAA Super Regional.  The Lady Braves led the PBC in team stroke average with a 309.8 and won six tournaments, including five in a row – a streak that concluded with the PBC title.  For 2011-12, UNCP returns four of their top five scorers led by junior Meghan Moore, who led the PBC last season with a 76.7 stroke average.  Also back is Shana Walor, fourth in the PBC in stroke average and PBC Freshman of the Year Dana Watkins, who was seventh in the league.

Flagler is coming off of a second-place finish at the Peach Belt Conference Tournament and a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Super Regional, the country’s toughest regional. Seven of the nine teams in last year’s regional were nationally ranked.  Flagler returns a pair of all-conference selections in Leslie Choucard and Elin Karlsson. Choucard finished eighth in the Peach Belt in strokes per round with 80.3 and Karlsson followed in ninth with an 80.4 average. 

Flagler will begin the 2011-12 season at the Anderson Invitational on Sept. 12 while UNC Pembroke begins on Sept. 19 at the CentruyLink Invitational.

To see the complete NGCA poll, click here.