2018-19 THEW.TV PREVIEW

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Defending champion Pepperdine was selected as the favorite to win the 2018-19 West Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship in a poll of the league coaches. The Waves captured 64 points and eight first-place votes.
 
Pepperdine placed three on the preseason All-WCC team: senior three-time All-American Sahith Theegala, and juniors Clay Feagler and Josh McCarthy. Theegala competed in the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup over the summer. Feagler was the 2018 WCC Championship medalist and torched the course for a single-round record 9-under 63, one stroke shy of the club record and his 54-hole score of 14-under 202 was the fourth best in championship history. McCarthy qualified for NCAA Nationals as an individual, firing a 7-under 65 in the second round of the Norman Regional.
 
BYU was picked second with 53 points and the remaining first-place vote. The Cougars qualified for NCAA Nationals last season and are represented with two on the preseason all-conference squad: juniors Peter Kuest and Rhett Rasmussen, the 2017 WCC Championship Medalist. Kuest tied for fifth place at the Norman Regional at 6-under 210, while Rasmussen tied for third at the WCC Championships at 5-under 211 and was tied for 18th at the NCAA Norman Regional.
 
San Francisco was tabbed for third place with 47 points, just one in front of ancient Bay Area rival Saint Mary’s in fourth place with 46 points. The Dons placed two on the preseason squad: junior Tim Widing and sophomore Toby Briggs. Widing is a two-time All-WCC First Team selection, while Briggs was selected as the WCC Freshman of the Year in his debut season on the Hilltop.
 
Santa Clara was picked fifth in the survey with 35 points, boosted by preseason all-league selections senior Derek Ackerman and junior Matt McCarty. Ackerman tied for ninth at the 2018 WCC Championship, while McCarty earned All-WCC First Team honors.
 
Loyola Marymount was picked sixth with 34 points, boosted by preseason All-WCC member senior Riley Elmes. A two-time All-WCC pick, Elmes was an individual NCAA Regional qualifier, finishing tied for 16th in Stockton at 3-under 213.
 
Pacific (17), San Diego (16) and Gonzaga (12) rounded out the preseason poll.
 
The 2019 West Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship will be held at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton, Calif. The tournament runs April 25-27.
 
2017-18 WCC MEN’S GOLF BULLETS

• A WCC-record five teams - BYU, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, San Francisco & Santa Clara – qualified for NCAA Regional play last season
• Riley Elmes represented LMU as an individual in NCAA Regional play
• BYU was the lone WCC representative in the NCAA National Tournament
• The Cougars finished 24th overall
• Pepperdine’s Josh McCarthy qualified for nationals as an individual and finished in the top-50 at 4-over
• Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala captured All-American honors for the third consecutive season and represented the United States in the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup
• San Francisco and BYU posted three team titles apiece during the 2017-18 regular season
• BYU recorded two individual medalist finishes and two team wins in its first four tournaments of the fall season.
• Gonzaga broke a 54-hole program record, shooting -28 to finish tied for fourth at the Loyola Intercollegiate in February

GOLFSTAT FINAL RANKINGS: BYU – 37; Pepperdine – 34; Saint Mary’s – 50; San Francisco – 54; Santa Clara – 52
GOLFWEEK FINAL RANKINGS: BYU – 40; Pepperdine – 25; Saint Mary’s – 49; San Francisco – 59; Santa Clara – 51
 
2018-19 Men’s Golf WCC Preseason Poll

Place	Team (First Place Votes)	Pts.
1.	Pepperdine (8)	64
2.	BYU (1)	53
3.	San Francisco	47
4.	Saint Mary's	46
5.	Santa Clara	35
6.	Loyola Marymount	34
7.	Pacific	17
8.	San Diego	16
9.	Gonzaga	12

2018-19 Men’s Golf Preseason All-WCC Team

Name	Institution	Yr.
Derek Ackerman	Santa Clara	Sr.
Toby Briggs	San Francisco	So.
Riley Elmes	Loyola Marymount	Sr.
Clay Feagler	Pepperdine	Jr.
Peter Kuest	BYU	Jr.
Josh McCarthy	Pepperdine	Jr.
Matt McCarty	Santa Clara	Jr.
Rhett Rasmussen	BYU	Jr.
Sahith Theegala	Pepperdine	Sr.
Tim Widing	San Francisco	Jr.