For the second consecutive year, the Denver men’s golf team has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture The Summit League Championship title.
Denver collected eight first-place votes and 64 points. The Pioneers look to defend their title behind the strokes of Petter Mikalsen (70.7), Chris Korte (71.8) and all-league, all-tournament and Newcomer of the Year Pat Frodigh (72.0). The trio led the league in stroke average at the conclusion of the fall season.
In second place is IUPUI, last season’s runner-up, with the final first-place vote and 53 points. Rylan Porter and All-Summit First Team selection Jose Pablo Segurola lead the Jaguars. Porter has a team-best 72.8 average entering spring competition while Segurola has a 73.3 average and captured the Butler Fall Invitational title. Porter and Segurola’s averages rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the league.
Oral Roberts, back in the league following a two-year absence, is ranked third behind the stroke of Scott Newell. Newell, who was named Newcomer of the Championship in 2012, has a 73.5 stroke average with a pair of top-five finishes during the fall season.
First Team All-Summit League honoree Sam Matthew and Jordan Rykal lead South Dakota, which placed fourth in the poll. Matthew has a 72.6 stroke average, fourth in the league, while Rykal enters the spring competition with a 75.1 average.
North Dakota State is fifth in the preseason poll and is led by Bill Carlson and Connor Holland. Carlson captured the UNO Invitational title and has a team-best 73.5 stroke average followed by Holland’s 74.7 average.
Karl Krieser, a second team all-league selection, leads Omaha following the fall season with a 74.3 stroke average. The Mavericks placed sixth in the poll and are followed by Western Illinois. The Fighting Leathernecks are led by Nate Davis (74.4).
South Dakota State and Fort Wayne rounded out the poll. The Jackrabbits are led by Grant Smith (74.8) who recorded three top-10 finishes in the fall season, while Devin Jenkins (78.1) headlines the Mastodons’ squad.
The 2015 Summit League Men’s Golf Championship will be held May 1-3, at the La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc, Calif. The champion earns the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals.
2015 MEN’S GOLF PRESEASON POLL
| Rank | School (1st-place votes) | Pts. |
| 1. | Denver (8) | 64 |
| 2. | IUPUI (1) | 53 |
| 3. | Oral Roberts | 52 |
| 4. | South Dakota | 39 |
| 5. | North Dakota State | 34 |
| 6. | Omaha | 29 |
| 7. | Western Illinois | 22 |
| 8. | South Dakota State | 19 |
| 9. | Fort Wayne | 12 |
**Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team.