After years of finishing in the top three at the conference tournament, the Lake Forest College men's golf team is the preseason favorites according to league coaches. Since joining the SLIAC in 2021, Lake Forest has two second place and two third place finishes.
The Foresters have long been near the top of the league but with an experienced lineup returning are looking to finally claim the program's first championship. They topped the poll with 134 points and four first-place votes. They bring back four of their top six scorers from a year ago, when they finished 2nd. Leading the way is junior Tyler Wengronowitz with a 74.5 average. Tyler Schick and Ben Shamberg are familiar faces on the course while sophomore Tyler Poker and freshman Jack Lee are looking to continue their strong play from the fall.
Placing second on the poll is MUW with 126 points and five first-place votes. The two-time defending SLIAC Champions, MUW will have a near completely new lineup. The lone returner is Cameron James, who averaged 76.6 strokes per round this fall. Head Coach Benji Williams replaced many of the holes in his lineup with transfers. Bryce Denley led the team in the fall with a 73.8 average while Nicklaus Ledbetter and Alexandre Thery also had strong showings.
Last year's Scots team made noise, jumping from 7th in 2024 to its 3rd place finish in 2025. The Scots totaled 125 points including four first-place votes. They bring back three of their top players in Blake Turner, Ryan Kriz, and Mikey Winne. Turner paced the team with a 72.6 average this fall while Kriz and Winne are not far off his pace.
Webster University was picked 4th on the poll with 102 points. Nico Marin and Cole Makgill will lead a youthful lineup. Marin averaged 75.7 strokes per round during the fall while Makgill held a 78.3 average. Erik Malmgren is on of the new faces to watch, putting up a 76.4 average during the first semester.
Spalding University tied for 5th on the poll with 88 points. The Golden Eagles return their lineup from last year's championship and will be led by Brady Westwood. The graduate student leads the team with a 76.3 average. Also back are Ashton Bass, Taylor Coleman, JJ Morgan, and Augustus Vega. Ben Seidel had two top team finishes in his first semester with the Golden Eagles.
Illinois College picked up 88 points, tying for 5th in the voting. They need to replace All-Conference performer Jarrett James but look to the continued growth of Myles Kampwerth and Teddy Walbaum. Kampwerth, a senior, brings plenty of experience and closed out the fall with four top team finishes. Walbaum, a sophomore, carded the second lowest round (71) by a Blue Boy during the fall season.
Knox College received 81 points in the voting. Pranav Nandakumar and Nathaniel Zug head up an experienced lineup. Nandakumar leads the team with a 73.9 average, placing first for the Prairie Fire in three events last fall. Zug holds a 81.3 average.
Also tying for 7th is Grinnell College. The Pioneers lost quite a bit from last season with Roger Smith being the lone returner. Smith holds a 76.2 average after the fall season. He is joined however by five talented freshmen including Spencer Moody, who leads the team with a 74.8 average. Everett Williams, Harrison Elliott, Max Shin, and Josh Udelson are other faces to keep an eye on.
Monmouth received 51 total points in the voting. No team information was provided.
Blackburn comes in 10th on the poll with 43 points. The Beavers will be an experienced group, consisting of four seniors. They will build around senior Kevin Hall, 75.6 average, and Talon Horton, 88.6 average.
Westminster College picked up 39 points in the voting, putting them 11th on the poll. The Blue Jays return three seniors including All-Conference performer Aidan Fonke. Fonke holds a 75.1 average after the fall, shooting a low round of 71. Ryder Christensen and Wilson Eastman are two freshmen that will fill out the lineup.
Greenville received 32 points. No team information was provided.
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Created with an image by yellowj - "golf ball on lip of cup"