DALTON, Ga. – Dalton State begins the 2026-27 men's golf season ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25 preseason rating, released Friday.
 
The Roadrunners received 433 points in the preseason poll, placing them behind No. 1 Keiser (Fla.) and No. 2 Friends (Kan.). Dalton State finished 10 points behind Friends and eight points ahead of fourth-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.).
 
Keiser collected 13 of the 18 first-place votes and finished with 473 points. Friends received four first-place votes and 443 points, while Reinhardt (Ga.) earned the remaining first-place vote and tied Webber International (Fla.) for fifth with 424 points.
 
Dalton State is one of three Georgia programs in the preseason Top 10. Reinhardt (Ga.) is tied for fifth, and Coastal Georgia begins the season at No. 9. Point (Ga.) is among the teams receiving votes.
 
The preseason ranking is the first of seven NAIA men's golf ratings scheduled for the 2026-27 season. Two additional ratings will be released during the fall on October 16 and October 30. The spring schedule begins March 25, with the final rating set for May 6 ahead of the 2027 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship in Fayetteville, N.C.
 
2026-27 NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Preseason Top 25

Rank	Institution [First Place Votes]	Points
1	Keiser (Fla.) [13]	473
2	Friends (Kan.) [4]	443
3	Dalton State (Ga.)	433
4	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	425
T-5	Reinhardt (Ga.) [1]	424
T-5	Webber International (Fla.)	424
7	OUAZ (Ariz.)	381
8	Missouri Valley	356
9	Coastal Georgia	330
10	Texas Wesleyan	297
11	Marian (Ind.)	293
T-12	Wayland Baptist (Texas)	282
T-12	Victoria (B.C.)	282
14	Science & Arts (Okla.)	264
15	British Columbia	263
16	Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.)	255
17	Grand View (Iowa)	246
18	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	224
19	Indiana Wesleyan	192
20	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)	143
21	William Carey (Miss.)	123
22	Cumberlands (Ky.)	103
23	Southeastern (Fla.)	74
24	Morningside (Iowa)	60
25	William Woods (Mo.)	56

 
Receiving Votes: Bellevue (Neb.), Columbia (Mo.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Hastings (Neb.), IU East (Ind.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Mount Mercy (Iowa), Northwestern (Iowa), Northwestern Ohio, Point (Ga.) and Southwest (N.M.).
 
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