By Charlie McGuire, Athletics Communications Assistant

SALEM, Ore. – The Willamette University men's golf team earned the top spot in the 2022 Northwest Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bearcats received 63 points and seven first place votes while Whitworth University was picked second with 58 points and two first place votes.

Whitman received 50 points for third, followed by Pacific Lutheran with 41 points for fourth. George Fox takes the fifth spot on the list with 38 points, while Linfield received 29 points to rank them sixth. Puget Sound (19 pts), Pacific (Ore.) (14 pts.), and Lewis & Clark (12 pts) round out the poll.

Willamette captured the last two NWC titles in 2018-2019 and 2020-2021, with the 2019-2020 Championship being cancelled due to COVID-19. The championship is claimed by the team with the best combined performances at the NWC Fall Classic, NWC Spring Classic and the NWC Tournament.

The Bearcats had an outstanding season in 2020-21, taking first at the Spring Classic and finishing second at both the Fall Classic and the NWC Tournament. Pacific Lutheran University held the top spot in the fall while Whitworth edged Willamette with a strong outing on day two to win the conference tournament, playing on its home course.

The Bearcats went on to tie for 11th at the NCAA Division III Championship while Andrew Kibbee (Sr., Kenmore, WA/Bothell HS) tied for 15th in the individual standings. Kibbee earned Third Team All-America honors and was joined by Austin Davis (Sr., Culver City, CA/Culver City HS) and Alex Weirth (Sr., Port Orchard, WA/Crosspoint Academy) on the NCAA PING All-West Region Team, presented by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

Willamette made a strong case for the top vote, capturing the Fall Classic back in October with Davis holding off Weirth for the individual title in a playoff, hosted by Pacific University. The Bearcats also claimed team titles at the George Fox and Linfield Invitationals in the fall. They started off the year with a 12th place showing at the NCAA Division III Preview at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, featuring some of the top ranked teams in the country.

Davis, Kibbee and Weirth all earned First Team All-NWC honors in 2021. Davis was named First Team in 2019 as well, and was named the NWC Freshman of the Year, finishing in the top five of all three NWC events that season. Kibbee was a Second Team selection in 2019. Willamette Head Coach Patrick Daugherty was named the NWC Coach of the Year for the second time, receiving the honor in 2021 and 2019. Daugherty is in his ninth season.

The Bearcats begin their spring schedule on March 5, hosting the first round of the 2022 Spring Trilogy at OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Oregon. The NWC Spring Classic is scheduled for April 9th and 10th, hosted by the University of Puget Sound while the NWC Tournament will be hosted by Willamette on April 23rd and 24th.