CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (Aug. 27, 2021) – For the first time in two seasons, Oklahoma Christian appeared Friday in the Women's Golf Coaches Association preseason poll for NCAA Division II, checking in at No. 16.
The Eagles are semi-regulars in the WGCA Division II rankings, appearing often in the poll in recent years. They didn't crack the top 25 during the 2020-21 campaign until early April and were No. 16 in the final regular-season poll of the season.
OC finished fifth in last season's Division II West Super Regional in Denton, Texas, just two spots and three shots short of qualifying for the Division II Championship. Current OC sophomore
Camilla Jarvela of Espoo, Finland, finished as the individual runner-up in the Super Regional and played as an individual at the national tournament last May at TPC Michigan in Detroit.
Jarvela, who received honorable mention on the WGCA Division II All-America list, will be one of three returning starters for the Eagles this season. She will join junior
Alexandria Bennett of Plano, Texas, and sophomore
Wilma Merenmies of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Bennett earned All-Lone Star Conference second-team honors last season and posted her first collegiate tournament win.
Another returning player, sophomore
Alyssa Wilson of Yukon, won the President's Flight in this summer's Women's Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship in Duncan.
OC was one of six LSC teams in the WGCA preseason poll, along with No. 1 Dallas Baptist (Texas), No. 5 St. Mary's (Texas), No. 11 Texas A&M-Commerce, No. 12 West Texas A&M and No. 22 Arkansas-Fort Smith. OC was the only Division II program in Oklahoma to appear in the top 25, although Central Oklahoma, Rogers State and Northeastern State all received votes.
The top 10 consisted of Dallas Baptist (the defending national champion), Lynn (Fla.), Indianapolis (Ind.), Limestone (S.C.), St. Mary's, Findlay (Ohio), Barry (Fla.), Tampa (Fla.), Anderson (S.C.) and Florida Southern.
The Eagles will open their season on Sept. 20-21 in the Dallas Baptist Classic at Wildhorse Golf Club at Robson Ranch in Denton, Texas, the same course on which last season's Super Regional was played.
