The Vanderbilt women’s golf team will open the 2018-19 season nationally ranked in two preseason polls.
Greg Allen’s Commodores are ranked No. 16 by GolfWeek and No. 25 by Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA).
The Commodores, coming off their 17th NCAA appearance in the last 18 years, expect to feature an experienced and talent lineup this season. They open the fall campaign this weekend at the 15th annual Cougar Classic, a 54-hole tournament hosted by the College of Charleston at Yeamans Hall Club in Hanahan, S.C. Vanderbilt joins Arkansas, Florida, Furman, Florida State, Wake Forest, Baylor and North Carolina as ranked teams in the Cougar Classic field.
Allen is pleased to be included in both preseason ballots, but expects more from his Vanderbilt squad as the season builds toward the SEC Championships in April and NCAA postseason in May.
“I’m happy for our team that they’re getting some early recognition, but it really means very little in the grand scheme of things,” Allen said. “We just want to continue to improve with each tournament and be prepared to make a strong run at the end of the season.”
Allen returns virtually his entire 2017-18 squad that advanced to NCAA Regionals, including senior Courtney Zeng, junior Abbey Carlson and sophomores Morgan Baxendale, Virginia Green and Louise Yu. The team was strengthened this fall with the arrival of talented freshmen Auston Kim and Annie Kim.
The Commodores are one of seven from the Southeastern Conference listed in the preseason polls.
