Bears Ranked No. 17 in Preseason Top-25 Poll

St. Louis, Mo., September 3, 2010 – Fresh off its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Washington University in St. Louis women’s golf team is ranked No. 17 in the Golf World/National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Division III Preseason Top-25 Poll, as announced on Thursday by the magazine.

Methodist College, winner of 13-straight NCAA titles, is the top-ranked team in the preseason poll. Rounding out the top five are Gustavus Adolphus College, University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire, DePauw University and St. Mary’s College (Ind.).

Third-year head coach Sean Curtis guided the Bears to a 19th place finish at the 2010 NCAA Division III Championship. The Bears return six letterwinners from a year ago, including second-team All-America honoree in sophomore Hannah Buck. Three other starters also return for Washington U.: junior Katie Homa, senior Kate Pettinato and sophomore Melanie Walsh.

Washington University competes in the Illinois College Lady Blues Invite on Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 4-5, in Jacksonville, Ill.