The NCAA News - News and Features

May 11, 1998

Division II Men's Golf

Columbus State tries to repeat

Event: 1998 Division II Men's Golf Championships.

Overview: Defending champion Columbus State is ranked No. 1 and looking to repeat. The Cougars have had eight top-five finishes this season. Columbus State enters the regionals after winning the Peach Belt Athletic Conference championships by 19 strokes. Junior Jaco Rall shot a six-under 66 to win individual honors. Rall finished third at last year's championships .... Florida Southern is looking for its fifth title this decade. The Moccasins, who won back-to-back titles in 1995 and 1996, have seven top-10 finishes this season. Jeff Klauk has won two tournaments this season. Matt Saglio took medalist honors at the Southeastern Collegiate last month .... Central Oklahoma is ranked second and is looking for its first title. The Bronchos have finished among the top 10 in all 10 tournaments this year. Central Oklahoma is a young team with two freshmen, two sophomores and just one senior. Returning sophomore Tosh Hayes played on last year's squad that finished sixth at the national championships. Freshman Steve Jodolwski has had five top-10 finishes along with one individual title this year .... Other contenders include Valdosta State, Francis Marion and Cal State San Bernardino.

Field: A total of 45 teams will be selected for regional competition with 18 teams and three individuals advancing to the championships.

Dates and sites: Three regional tournaments will be conducted May 4-6. Host institutions are Bryant College (North), Columbus State (South) and Cameron (West). The championship finals will be May 19-22 at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Rollins and the Orlando Sports Commission will serve as cohosts.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 5096 for first-round results, 5097 for second-round results, 5098 for third-round results and 5099 for final-round results. Individual and team results also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Regional results will be published in the May 18 issue of The NCAA News. Championships results will appear in the June 1 issue.