Defending National Champion Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Tops Preseason Men's Golf Top 25
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Defending national champion Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is the No. 1 team in the preseason edition of the 2025-26 NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25, beginning a nine-month season that will culminate in mid-May, at TPC Deere Run, in the 2026 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship.
The Blue Raiders edged Oklahoma City by two strokes in last year's championship, as the Stars check in at No. 2. The top four finishers from last season's championship were separated by five strokes, as preseason No. 3 Keiser finished five back of Lindsey, while preseason No. 6 Wayland Baptist finished four behind the national champions. The first regular-season rating of the 2025-26 campaign is slated for Oct. 17.
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1. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), 473 points 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Champion 2025-26 Season Opener: Sept. 28-30, UPike Invitational, hosted by Pikeville |
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2. Oklahoma City, 459 points 2024-25 Finish: Runner up at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: UC Ferguson Classic, Aug. 24-26, hosted by OCU |
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3. Keiser (Fla.), 445 points 2024-25 Finish: Fourth at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: Seahawk Shootout, Sept. 15-16, hosted by Keiser |
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4. Dalton State (Ga.), 423 points 2024-25 Finish: Tied for fifth at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational, Sept. 8-9 |
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5. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 412 points 2024-25 Finish: Tied for fifth at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: UC Ferguson Classic, Aug. 24-26, hosted by OCU |
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6. Wayland Baptist (Texas), 407 points 2024-25 Finish: Third at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: Mid-South Invitational, Sept. 2-3, hosted by Grand View |
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7. OUAZ (Ariz.), 374 points 2024-25 Finish: Eighth at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: Northwest Iowa National Invitational, Sept. 14-16 |
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8. Texas Wesleyan, 365 points 2024-25 Finish: 10th at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: UC Ferguson Classic, Aug. 24-26, hosted by OCU |
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9. Indiana Wesleyan, 308 points 2024-25 Finish: 13th at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: UC Ferguson Classic, Aug. 24-26, hosted by OCU |
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10. Friends (Kan.), 307 points 2024-25 Finish: Qualified but missed the cut at the 2025 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship 2025-26 Season Opener: UC Ferguson Classic, Aug. 24-26, hosted by OCU |
| RANK | INSTITUTION | POINTS |
| 11 | British Columbia | 306 |
| 12 | William Woods (Mo.) | 277 |
| 13 | The Master's (Calif.) | 253 |
| 14 | Marian (Ind.) | 250 |
| 15 | William Carey (Miss.) | 244 |
| 16 | Coastal Georgia | 229 |
| 17 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 205 |
| 18 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 167 |
| 19 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 165 |
| 20 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 157 |
| 21 | Point (Ga.) | 154 |
| 22 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 114 |
| 23 | Science and Arts (Okla.) | 107 |
| 24 | Victoria (B.C.) | 106 |
| 25 | Northwestern Ohio | 82 |
Receiving Votes: Hastings (Neb.) 69, Midway (Ky.) 55, Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 54, Southwestern Christian (Okla.) 52, Tennessee Wesleyan 39, Arizona Christian 29, Cumberland (Tenn.) 23, Faulkner (Ala.) 21, Cumberlands (Ky.) 19, Truett McConnell (Ga.) 11, Columbia (Mo.) 10
Ratings Methodology
- The rating is rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team’s rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”.
