Aug. 27, 2008

Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte 49ers are ranked 13th in the Golf World/Nike Golf Division I Preseason Coaches' Poll, which will be available in the Aug. 29th "College Preview" edition of Golf World Magazine.

In addition, Golf World has released its list of the Top 50 "Players to Watch" in 2008-09, which includes Charlotte returnees Corey Nagy (Charlotte, N.C./Vance H.S.) and Stefan Wiedergruen (Waiblingen, Germany/Salier Gymansium).

"I think anytime the coaches take a look at how you've done the previous year and tip their cap so to speak as a top 25 golf program, our players and coaches should be proud of that," said three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Jamie Green. "That said, what really matters is the end of the year. Our goal is to play our best every time out and to improve at every turn so that ultimately we want to be playing our best at the end of the year. That's the ranking that counts the most. (This ranking) goes to the recognition of how the guys have done and any team in the top 25 should feel pretty good."

The 49ers finished tied for 8th at the 2008 NCAA Championship, their second straight Top 10 NCAA finish. During the 2007-08 season, the 49ers golf team became the first in any sport in school history to reside as the consensus #1 team in the country. The 49ers have won three straight Atlantic 10 Championships, been to four straight NCAA Tournaments and won 17 tournaments in the last four years.

"I'm happy for Stefan and Corey that the coaches realize these are two of the elite players in college golf," Green noted. "I know they are excited to actually put the tee in the ground and compete and not so much with expectations but with excitement. Coming off of a school year and summer where both Corey and Stefan played consistently and played at a high level, I'm looking forward to watching them have fun in a great tournament schedule this year. They have designs of continual improvement and making their own mark."


Nagy, a junior who has earned Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) honorable mention all-America honors the past two seasons, placed 16th at the NCAA Championships to lead the 49ers. He was second on the team with a 72.14 stroke average.

Wiedergruen, a senior, spent time as the number one player in the country during the 2007-08 season, posting a pair of wins and four top five finishes while carding a 72.43 stroke average.

Charlotte is one of just four teams (Charlotte, Georgia, Stanford, UCLA) in the country that have garnered back-to-back Top 10 NCAA finishes (T3rd, 2007; T8th, 2008), one of six teams that were consensus top 10 teams in the final 2008 polls and one of nine teams that have reached the last three 30-team NCAA Championship fields. Only three teams (Charlotte, Georgia and UCLA) have done all three: been to the NCAA Championship in each of the last three years, posted top 10 NCAA finishes the last two years and finished as a consensus top 10 team in 2008.

GOLF WORLD/NIKE GOLF COACHES' POLL
Men's Division I - Preseason Edition
RANK, TEAM POINTS
1. UCLA (11), 618
2. Oklahoma St., (4), 592
3. Georgia (6), 585
4. Southern Cal., (5), 564
5. Stanford, 498
6. Clemson, 481
7. Florida, 468
8. Alabama, 439
9. Texas A&M, 343
10. Georgia Tech, 340
11. Florida, St., 335
12. Arizona, St., 334
13. Charlotte, 258
14. Duke, 231
15. Tennessee, 217
16. Auburn, 201
17. Kent St., 173
18. East Tennessee St., 168
19. South Carolina, 160
20. Wake Forest, 121
Indiana, 121
22. UNLV, 117
23. San Diego St., 101
24. Texas, 95
25. North Carolina, 91

Others receiving votes: Chattanooga, 90; Louisville, 86; Illinois, 75; Washington, 74; Middle Tennessee St., 50; Texas Tech, 41; Michigan St., 39; UAB, 39; Arizona, 34; UCF, 32; LSU, 27; Arkansas, 22; N.C. St., 21; Pepperdine, 21; Mississippi, 20; Penn St., 15; UC Irvine, 15; TCU, 12; Augusta St., 11; California, 11; Purdue, 11; Oregon, 10; Northwestern, 8; Coastal Carolina, 6; Virginia Tech, 5; Colorado St., 3; Marquette, 3; SMU, 2; St. John's, 2; Virginia, 2; Maryland, 1; Memphis, 1; Mississippi St., 1; New Mexico, 1; Notre Dame, 1; Wichita St., 1.