CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the 2024 American Rivers Conference Men's Golf Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2023-24 American Rivers Conference Men's Golf Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2022-23 Highlights |
| 1. |
Luther (8) |
64 |
305.7 scoring average (2023 A-R-C Champions) |
| 2. |
Central |
54 |
305.36 scoring average |
| 3. |
Nebraska Wesleyan (1) |
49 |
306.0 scoring average |
| 4. |
Dubuque |
44 |
315.1 scoring average |
| 5. |
Wartburg |
32 |
312.0 scoring average |
| 6. |
Coe |
28 |
314.7 scoring average |
| 7. |
Buena Vista |
24 |
313.9 scoring average |
| 8. |
Simpson |
16 |
320.7 scoring average |
| 9. |
Loras |
13 |
312.67 scoring average |
The Luther College Norse are the coaches' choice to win the 2024 American Rivers Conference Men's Golf title. The Norse have won two consecutive conference championships and were chosen first on eight ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 64 points to earn the No. 1 ranking. Central College garnered 54 points in the poll. Nebraska Wesleyan University debuts at No. 3 in the coaches' poll, earning 49 points and one first place vote. The University of Dubuque picked up 44 points to put them at the No. 4 spot followed by Wartburg College at No. 5 earning 32 points. The Coe College Kohawks picked up 28 points to earn sixth. Buena Vista, Simpson, and Loras finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
The Schedule: The first putts of the 2024 season will drop on Sunday, March 10 when the Dutch tee it off in North Carolina at the Hampden-Sydney Tiger Invitational at 7 Lakes Golf Course. Simpson will take the course next on Monday, March 11 in Florida when they compete at the Shenadoah Invite at Heritage Harbour Golf Course. Dubuque kicks their season off in Terre Haute, Indiana at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate hosted by Rose-Hulman at Terre Haute Country Club on Saturday, March 16. The Knights of Wartburg begin play on Saturday, March 23 in Peoria, Illinois as Illinois College hosts at Weaver Ridge Golf Course. Although at two separate tournaments, Buena Vista and Nebraska Wesleyan will begin play on Monday, March 25. The Beavers are set to begin in Fulton, Missouri at Tanglewood Golf Course while the Prairie Wolves will begin in Kansas City, Missouri at The Deuce at the National Golf Course. Coe and Luther both will hit their first tee shots of the season at Wartburg's Invite at Prairie Links. Loras is the last team in the A-R-C to begin and they will begin their season at Galena Golf Club in Galena, Illinois.
The A-R-C Men's Golf Championship will take place on Sunday, April 28 through Tuesday, April 30 in West Des Moines, Iowa at Glen Oaks Country Club hosted by Loras College. The champion will receive the leagues' automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Championships in May at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada.
| 1st |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Scott Fjelstul (36th season)
2023 Conference Finish: 1st
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 305.7
Starters Returning: 4
All-Conference Returning: Jay Fjelstul (Sr.), Haakon Rustad (Jr.), Mark Devlin (Jr.), Hogan Reuter (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: Brandon Dorans
Scott Fjelstul - "We are very excited about the upcoming spring season and the opportunities we have in front of us. The guys are working hard, pushing, and challenging each other, while having fun together. We are looking forward to this year's conference championship. It will be a great experience to play the tournament on one of the best courses in the state of Iowa." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| Jay Fjelstul (Sr.) |
73.5 |
| Haakon Rustad (Jr.) |
74.7 |
| Peter Stinar (Jr.) |
76.6 |
| Mark Devlin (Jr.) |
76.8 |
| Hogan Reuter (Jr.) |
76.9 |
| 2nd |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Mel Blasi (6th season)
2023 Conference Finish: 3rd
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 305.36
Starters Returning: 3
All-Conference Returning: Harold Dobernecker (Sr.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Mel Blasi - "We have a junior senior heavy squad in 2023-24 with a lot of experience. Four of our top five players have A-R-C Championship experience. They are a very capable group, with three-time A-R-C All-Conference selection Harold Dobernecker leading the way. Harold has had an outstanding collegiate career, and is coming off a record setting fall season. We relied on him a lot during the fall season. We will look to become more balanced in the spring, with more consistent play from players two through five. |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| Harold Dobernecker (Sr.) |
76.24 |
| Cole McGriff (Jr.) |
77.76 |
| Jake Moffet (Sr.) |
77.80 |
| 3rd |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: David Clouse (1st season)
2023 Conference Finish: 2nd
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 306.0
Starters Returning: 4
All-Conference Returning: John Lapour, Christian Ghilardi, Nate Vickery
All-Conference Lost: Tyler Welch
David Clouse- "Looking forward to the spring season." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| John Lapour (Gr.) |
|
| Christian Ghilardi (Sr.) |
76.4 |
| Geran Sander (Jr.) |
77.3 |
| 4th |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Dustin Bierman (8th season)
2023 Conference Finish: 6th
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 315.1
Starters Returning: 1
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: Brad Buechel
Dustin Bierman - "Looking forward to the spring season and ready to compete against some very good teams in the A-R-C. We have a lot of new faces that will be competing for our top five spots and looking forward to seeing what this group can do." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| Matt McQuillen (Sr.) |
78.7 |
| Paul Blomquist (So.) |
79.0 |
| 5th |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Jason Steege (9th season)
2023 Conference Finish: 4th
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 312.0
Starters Returning: 4
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: None
Jason Steege - "Our team is very excited to get started with the upcoming spring golf season. This year's squad has a good mix of experience and talent. We're going to rely heavily on our upperclassmen and experience to be more consistent as a team. The A-R-C race looks to be very competitive and Glen Oaks Country Club will provide an outstanding challenge for our championship!" |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| Taylor Thompson (Fifth Yr.) |
79.35 |
| Tucker Kinney (Sr.) |
80.0 |
| Nick Lechtenberg (Sr.) |
77.85 |
| Josh Nichols (Sr.) |
79.0 |
| 6th |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: Eric Karius (5th season)
2023 Conference Finish: 5th
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 314.7
Starters Returning: 4
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: None
Eric Karius - "I believe the leauge is as deep as it has been since I've been at Coe. Teams are going to have to play well all three days to have a good finish. The team is looking forward to this spring and the challenge of competing in the conference championship." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| Lucas Geiger (Sr.) |
77.7 |
| Alec Brockmeyer (Sr.) |
78.4 |
| 7th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Joe Powell (5th season)
2023 Conference Finish: 7th
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 313.9
All-Conference Returning: Matthew Turpen (So.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Joe Powell - "I am really excited to see what this group of young players can do in the spring season of 2024. We had some solid rounds of golf played in the fall season and look forward to continuing to work on our consistency overall. Glen Oaks will be the best test of golf yet for most of the conference I would say, and it will take really solid play over three days to determine this year's championship." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| Matthew Turpen (So.) |
79.2 |
| 8th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Jeremy Johnson (3rd season)
2023 Conference Finish: 8th
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 320.7
Starters Returning: 4
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: None
Jeremy Johnson - "We are excited to get the spring season started and especially looking forward to the A-R-C Championship at Glen Oaks Country Club. It is a great venue and we hope our fall and spring schedule prepares us well to improve on last season's finish." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
| Jack Wahman (So.) |
78.2 |
| Blake Perrin (So.) |
80.0 |
| 9th |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Will Arndt (2nd season)
2023 Conference Finish: 9th
2022-23 Team Scoring Average: 312.67
Starters Returning: 5
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: None
Will Arndt - "We are incredibly excited to get the spring season underway and continue moving this program forward. We look forward to the conference championship in April and believe we will make a good showing." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Scoring Average |
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About the American Rivers Conference
The Conference dates back to December 8, 1922, when representatives from 12 colleges got together and formed the "Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association." Honoring its heritage in Iowa and its expansion outside the state, the American Rivers Conference brand was established on August 9, 2018, to build on the academic and athletic success provided by its legacy, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The A-R-C has nine full-time members: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.
