The Loop
Alabama tops women's preseason coaches' poll
__By Ryan Herrington
__
Fresh off its first ever NCAA women's golf title, Alabama enters the 2012-13 season as the No. 1 team in the Golf World/NGCA Division I women's preseason coaches' poll. The Crimson Tide won four times in a year ago and return All-Americans Stephanie Meadow (the Ladies British Amateur champion) and Jennifer Kirby from the squad that claimed the NCAA title for Hall of Fame coach Mic Potter. The team earned 19 of the 27 first-place votes and hold the top spot in the Golf World poll for the first time since March 2011.
UCLA, with six first-place votes, claimed the No. 2 spot in the poll. The Bruins were the top ranked team in every Golf World poll in 2011-12 only to finish in eighth place at the NCAA Championship. Still, the program brings back All-Americans in Lee Lopez,Tiffany Lua and Erynne Lee.
USC, which lost to Alabama by one stroke at nationals, finds itself in the No. 3 spot, followed by Pac-12 foe Arizona State. Rounding out the top five is Duke, led by NCAA player of the year Lindy Duncan.
GOLF WORLD/NGCA DIVISION I WOMEN'S PRESEASON POLL
XXXX
Having claimed its fourth straight NCAA team time, [Nova Southeastern](http://nsusharks.com/index.aspx?path=wgolf) enters the 2012-13 season as the No. 1 team in the *Golf World*/NGCA Division II women's preseason coaches' poll. The Sharks won three times a year ago while playing with only four golfers in their starting lineup after a mid-season transfer. They'll play with a full compliment of five this fall under second-year coach __Amanda Brown__, helping them garner 24 of the 25 available first-place votes.
With 15 straight NCAA titles, Methodist is the surest bet in college golf. Not surprisingly the Monarchs enter the 2012-13 season the unanimous choice of the 18 votes as the No. 1 team in the Golf World/NGCA Division III women's preseason coaches' poll.
DePauw, the 2012 NCAA runner-up, claimed the No. 2 spot in the poll, the Tigers winning three times in 13 starts a year ago. Centre earned the No. 3 spot with Williams and Washington University in St. Louis rounding out the top five.
XXXX