BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Eastern Kentucky and Murray State were picked as the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference men's golf co-favorites while Morehead State was tabbed the team to beat on the women's side in a vote of league head coaches released on Thursday.
On the men's side three teams received first-place votes with Murray State getting four of the nine first-place votes and being picked co-favorites (56 points) along with Eastern Kentucky, who received three first-place votes and were also tabbed co-favorites. Defending champion Austin Peay was picked third and received the other two first-place votes (53). The poll was rounded out by Jacksonville State (49), Tennessee Tech (31), Morehead State (27), Eastern Illinois (23), UT Martin (17) and Tennessee State (12).
Eastern Kentucky has won 11 OVC men's golf championships with the most recent coming two years ago (2008). EKU finished fourth at the 2009 OVC Championship and during the recently completed fall season had the second-best overall team stroke average in the league. Murray State, who finished second by one stroke at last year's championship, will be attempting to win its fourth overall title and first since the 1991 season. The Racers had the lowest team stroke average during the fall season (288.3 over 17 rounds). Austin Peay, last year's champion, is looking to become the first OVC men's team to repeat since the Govs also pulled off the feat in 2002 and 2003.
Three teams also split the first-place votes on the women's side, with Morehead State receiving five of the eight first-place votes (46 total points) in being picked first. Jacksonville State received one first-place nod and was picked second (41), while defending champion Murray State receiving the other two first-place votes and were tabbed third (39). The order of finish was completed by Eastern Kentucky (30), Tennessee Tech (26), Austin Peay (22), Eastern Illinois (13) and Tennessee State (7).
Morehead State is only in its second full season of golf since re-establishing the program after a 26-year break. The Eagles were third at its first-ever OVC Championship in 2009 and were second among OVC teams in stroke average during the fall campaign. Jacksonville State claimed four-straight titles (2005-08) after joining the OVC until being topped by Murray State by eight strokes a year ago. In 10 rounds during the fall campaign, the Gamecocks had a 308.3 team stroke average, the best among OVC women's golf teams. Murray State won its seventh OVC crown a season ago at Crooked Creek Course in London, Ky.
The 2010 OVC Men's and Women's Championships will be held at the Greystone Golf Club in Dickson, Tenn. The women's championship will be held on April 22-24 while the men's championship is set for April 26-28.
The OVC spring season kicks off on Feb. 7 when the Jacksonville State men's team competes at the Jacksonville University Invitational at TPC Sawgrass. The first OVC women's teams will play the weekend of Feb. 20-21 when Jacksonville State, Tennessee Tech and Morehead State take to the course.
2010 OVC Golf Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
(as voted on by the league head coaches)
Men's Predicted Order of Finish
1. Murray State (4 first-place votes) - 56 points
Eastern Kentucky (3) - 56
3. Austin Peay (2) - 53
4. Jacksonville State - 49
5. Tennessee Tech - 31
6. Morehead State - 27
7. Eastern Illinois - 23
8. UT Martin - 17
9. Tennessee State - 12
Women's Predicted Order of Finish
1. Morehead State (5 first-place votes) - 46 points
2. Jacksonville State (1) - 41
3. Murray State (2) - 39
4. Eastern Kentucky - 30
5. Tennessee Tech - 26
6. Austin Peay - 22
7. Eastern Illinois - 13
8. Tennessee State - 7