BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Coming off a second consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship and a 16th-place finish at the NCAA II Championships, the Western Washington University men’s golf team enters the 2017-18 season ranked tied for 24th in the Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Vikings received 61 points and finished tied with CCAA rival Stanislaus State in the annual preseason poll. Of the teams inside the top 25, Western Washington was one of 15 programs to participate in last year’s NCAA Division II National Championships.

Western Washington finished tied for third last May in the NCAA West/South Central Regional Championships with an 847 team score, collectively shooting 17-under-par. The Vikings eventually went on to finish in 16th place at the NCAA Championships. WWU boasts a league-high eight GNAC team titles and has appeared at 19 consecutive NCAA Regional events.

Defending national champion Florida Southern ranks as the top team in the preseason poll, receiving nine first-place votes with 429 points. National semifinalist West Florida earned 417 points and seven first-place votes to attain a second-place ranking. Barry earned 396 points, while Lynn achieved 384 points (two first-place votes) and Florida Tech received 366 points to round out the top five.

Western Washington’s top three golfers and GNAC All-Conference selections from a year ago (Chris Hatch, Jeffrey Marcum and Brett Johnson) all depart via graduation. The trio combined for 98 rounds in 2016-17 and collectively shot a 73.2 strokes per round average. Last year, the Vikings led all GNAC teams in rounds and scoring average.

The Vikings return juniors Michael Butler (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) and Cody Roth (Bellingham, WA), as well as sophomore Ethan Casto (Snohomish, WA) who finished tied for 57th at the NCAA Championships.

WWU opens its 2017 campaign Sept. 22-23 with a two-day tournament at the Saint Martin’s Invitational in Olympia, Wash. The next Bushnell Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll will be released on Sept. 29.

— @WWUMGolf —