Saint Peter’s Men and Quinnipiac Women Tabbed 2018 MAAC Golf Preseason Favorites
EDISON, NJ – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced today that the Saint Peter’s University men and Quinnipiac University women were selected as favorites in the 2018 Preseason Coaches’ Polls. The Peacocks and Bobcats each received four first-place votes in their respective Preseason Polls.
Saint Peter’s is the MAAC Men’s Golf defending champion, as it took control of the leaderboard at last year’s championship on the final day, edging out Siena College by three strokes. The Peacocks are led by 2017 MAAC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year, Nick Dilio and MAAC Men’s Golf Most Outstanding Performer and McLeod Trophy winner, Mike Winter. Winter recorded a +4 (220) over three rounds to take home the McLeod Trophy at the 2017 MAAC Men’s Golf Championship. The Peacocks received a total of 72 points in the poll.
Following Saint Peter’s is Siena College (59), who received one first-place vote. The Saints have claimed four MAAC Men’s Golf Championships in program history and are tied with Iona College for the most among active league members (former member Loyola has the most with 15). The Saints are led by 2017 MAAC Rookie of the Year, Jake Holt who finished second in last year’s championship with a three-day score of +5 (221).
Rider University (58) received one first-place vote and were selected third in the poll, followed by Manhattan College (55) who received two first-place votes in fourth, and Monmouth University (49) in fifth. Iona (48) received one first-place vote and was picked sixth, followed by Fairfield University (32) in seventh. Canisius College (20) and Niagara University (12) round out the 2018 Men’s Golf Preseason Coaches’ Poll in the final two slots.
On the women’s side, Quinnipiac received a total of 75 points in the poll and four first-place votes. The Bobcats are the two-time defending MAAC Women’s Golf Champions, as they tallied a score of +75 (939) at last year’s championship. Quinnipiac returns MAAC Women’s Golf Rookie of the Year, Most Outstanding Performer, and McLeod Trophy winner, Alexandra Sazhin. Sazhin shot a +15 (231) over three days to finish two strokes ahead of the second-place finisher, University at Albany’s Paige Fujihara +17 (233) at the 2017 MAAC Women’s Golf Championship.
Albany follows Quinnipiac in the poll, as it received three first-place votes and 66 total points. The Great Danes took home their lone MAAC Women’s Golf Championship in 2015 when they defeated Siena by 11 strokes.
Following Albany with one first-place vote is the University of Dayton (57) in third, Monmouth (56) placed fourth, and Siena (47) was picked fifth. Selected sixth with one first-place vote was Hartford University (43), followed by La Salle University (23) in seventh. Rounding out the poll are Niagara (22) and Fairfield (16).
The 2018 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships return to Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, FL for the fourth consecutive year. The three round 54-hole championship takes place April 20-22. For more information regarding the 2018 MAAC Men’s & Women’s Golf Championships visit,
maacsports.com/golf.
| Men’s Golf Preseason Poll |
| 1. |
Saint Peter’s (4) |
72 |
| 2. |
Siena (1) |
59 |
| 3. |
Rider (1) |
58 |
| 4. |
Manhattan (2) |
55 |
| 5. |
Monmouth |
49 |
| 6. |
Iona (1) |
48 |
| 7. |
Fairfield |
32 |
| 8. |
Canisius |
20 |
| 9. |
Niagara |
12 |
| Women’s Golf Preseason Poll |
| 1. |
Quinnipiac (4) |
75 |
| 2. |
Albany (3) |
66 |
| 3. |
Dayton (1) |
57 |
| 4. |
Monmouth |
56 |
| 5. |
Siena |
47 |
| 6. |
Hartford (1) |
43 |
| 7. |
La Salle |
23 |
| 8. |
Niagara |
22 |
| 9. |
Fairfield |
16 |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.