OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 3, 2019) – During its NAIA days, Oklahoma Christian established a reputation as one of the top small-college men's golf teams in the nation. Less than a decade into the program's NCAA Division II era, the Eagles are making noise at that level, too.

Coach David Lynn has worked hard to maintain the level of excellence in OC's program over the years and this season's team fits neatly into that mold. Coming off an outstanding fall campaign – during which the Eagles won twice – they'll take a national top-10 ranking into the spring season, which starts Monday and Tuesday with the Fujikura Invitational, hosted by California State-San Marcos at Shadowridge Golf Club in Vista, Calif.

The Eagles' ultimate goal is a berth in the NCAA postseason, in which they've competed two of the previous three seasons. A confident, veteran squad that includes six players with fall scoring averages between 71.5 and 72.9 has Lynn believing a deep postseason run is entirely attainable – but not without the hard work that's become a hallmark of this season's Eagles.

"I've been really excited for this spring to come around," Lynn said. "The guys have been playing hard and practicing hard, grinding in the indoor (facility). That's just a neat environment to be a part of, when they all know what they can accomplish and what's ahead of them. It's only a nervousness of anticipation of how excited they're going to be to get going.

"When we go to tournaments, we want to be the best team there. We want to feel like we're the best team and we want to perform like the best team. You don't perform like the best team if you don't have the expectation of being the best team.  … Certainly, having the expectations to be the best and carrying yourself that way is how you create an environment to reach your potential."

The depth of talent on OC's squad is undeniable, with seven players – seniors Cameron Brown, Garrett White, Juan Pallach, Ethan Smith and Grady Neal, junior Trevor Norby and sophomore Andres Brictson – who have NCAA postseason experience. Three OC players have been named as the Heartland Conference's player of the week at some point in their careers, and that doesn't include White, the defending Heartland individual champion.

Having all those talented players makes for competitive practice rounds, which Lynn believes forces players to work relentlessly to improve – which ultimately increases the odds of success for the Eagles in tournament play.

During OC's four-tournament fall season, Lynn went with the same starting lineup in each event, going with Brown, Pallach, Norby, White and Brictson. Smith, who started for the Eagles at the Division II Championship in 2016, played in three events as an individual. The scoring averages for those six players were within 1.4 strokes of each other.

"We've got great depth and that's a huge asset," Lynn said. "It's a huge asset in practice and when you transport to the tournament. The opportunity to put five guys out there that you have confidence in, regardless of the week and regardless of the five guys, is a huge advantage."

Neal, a senior who started for OC in last year's Division II South Central-West Super Regional alongside Brown, White, Brictson and Pallach, gives the Eagles another experienced hand if necessary. Norby, who transferred to OC from San Diego State, played in a pair of Division I regionals for the Aztecs.

"Those seven guys know what to expect and they know what we're trying to do," Lynn said. "They know that we're trying to play our best golf and we're trying to peak late in the season. I'm not going to be overly worried if we don't play our best golf this first week."

The Eagles won both the Missouri Southern Fall Invitational at Shangri-La Golf Club in Monkey Island and The Territory Classic at The Territory Golf Club in Duncan during the first semester and had a strong fifth-place finish in the South Central-West Regional Preview at The Ledges Golf Club in St. George, Utah, despite challenging competitive conditions over their final nine holes.

OC will face more top-shelf competition at the Cal State-San Marcos tournament in suburban San Diego, near where Norby and graduate assistant coach Casey Rebmann grew up.

The rest of the Eagles' spring schedule has a familiar look, as they'll play in tournaments hosted by Heartland rivals St. Mary's (Texas) in San Antonio, St. Edward's (Texas) in Austin, Texas, and Dallas Baptist (Texas) in Irving, Texas. OC also will take its annual trip to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Desert Classic, another tournament with a particularly strong field, and will play in nearby Edmond in Central Oklahoma's Broncho Invitational at Oak Tree Country Club's East Course.

White will look to defend his title in the Heartland Conference Championship, to be held again this year at Slick Rock Golf Course in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. If the Eagles win that tournament, or finish in the top 10 in the Division II regional rankings, they'll return to Utah for the South Central-West Super Regional. OC enters the spring season atop the Golfstat.com Relative Rankings for the South Central Region and at No. 9 in the Bushnell Golfweek Division II Coaches' Poll.

The top four finishers from the Super Regional will move on to the Division II Championship, set for May 20-24 at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, W.Va. OC missed qualifying for last year's Division II tournament by just one shot, which Lynn said was "painful" and will serve as motivational fuel.

"We're deep and we're competitive," Lynn said. "But we've got to take care of business. While (the Division II Championship) is the overall goal, playing our best and working hard and winning a conference championship and winning a regional championship and qualifying for finals, those things are all steppingstones to get there."