Coaches keep UCLA women at No. 1

Even when the UCLA women aren't winning, they're still not losing, if you will. While finishing runner-up to Pepperdine at the Bruin Wave Invitational last week, Carrie Forysth's team earned kudos for such a solid showing despite playing with only four players in the tournament.

So it is that the Bruins remained atop the Golf World/NGCA women's Division I coaches' poll this week, securing 16 of the 19 available first-place votes. Of course their cause is helped by the fact that senior Lee Lopez, freshman__Erynne Lee__ and junior Tiffany Lua all have stroke averages of 72.48 or lower, the only school that can boast a trio of players that fit in that category.

As you can see, there was a little movement in the poll, but not all that much. Duke returns to the top 10 at the No. 8 spot thanks to the Blue Devils' win at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Waves jumped from No. 22 to No. 17 with their home win over UCLA. UC Davis returned to the top 25 at No. 24 after their third-place finish at the Juli Inkster Spartan Invite.

Couple quick tidbits for you: No. 13 Baylor and No. 14 Colorado have both risen to the highest spots in the poll since Golf World resumed it at the start of the 2001-02 season.

With a victory at the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational—while playing only four players—Nova Southeastern held tight to its No. 1 ranking. The Sharks are three-time defending NCAA champs, but appeared as if they were going to struggle after losing head coach Kevin Marsh just prior to the season. If this is struggling (two wins, three third-place finishes) then I know of many coaches who will gladly sign up. Kudos to Marsh's replacement, Amanda Brown, for keeping the team from missing a beat.

That there is no new team atop the Division III poll isn't really a surprise, Methodist having been sole proprietors of the D-III penthouse since seemingly the Jefferson Administration. But what was interesting about this week's vote is that the top 13 teams all held their places. I can't remember a week where there was so little movement in the poll.