The Little Rock men's and Morehead State women's teams have been picked as the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference golf favorites in a vote of league head coaches released on Wednesday.
On the men's side, Little Rock picked up eight of the 11 first-place votes and 98 points in being picked for the fourth year in a row. UT Martin received two first-place votes and 85 points in being predicted second, Tennessee Tech was third (81) and SIUE received the final first-place vote and was tabbed fourth (77 points). Morehead State was picked fifth (68) and followed by Lindenwood (55), Southern Indiana (44), Bryant (32), Eastern Illinois (29), Tennessee State (19) and Western Illinois (16).
Defending women's champion Morehead State picked up seven of nine first-place votes and 63 points in being picked first. Little Rock picked up the other two first-place votes and 57 points in being tabbed second. Tennessee Tech was predicted third (48 points) and followed by Lindenwood (43), Southern Indiana (35), Bryant (27), Eastern Illinois (26), Tennessee State (13) and Western Illinois (12).
Each OVC Golf Championship will be contested at a first-time venue this season. The OVC Women's Golf Championship will be contested April 19-21 at the Dalton Golf and Country Club in Dalton, Georgia while the OVC Men's Golf Championship will be April 26-29 on the Ackerman-Allen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex on the campus of Purdue University.
In addition to the preseason poll, each league head coach selected one player from their team to be included as a "Player to Watch" heading into the spring season.
2025-26 OVC Women's Golf Predicted Order of Finish
1. Morehead State (7) - 63 points
2. Little Rock (2) - 57
3. Tennessee Tech - 48
4. Lindenwood - 43
5. Southern Indiana - 35
6. Bryant - 27
7. Eastern Illinois - 26
8. Tennessee State - 13
9. Western Illinois - 12
2025-26 OVC Women's Players to Watch
Bryant - Jenelle Valera (Sr.)
Eastern Illinois - Mya Mirocha (Jr.)
Lindenwood - Paula Sanchez (Sr.)
Little Rock - Eleonore Aernouts (Jr.)
Morehead State - Tuva Isebakke (Sr.)
Southern Indiana - Fernanda Vera (So.)
Tennessee State - Anessa Riglos (Fr.)
Tennessee Tech - Chloe Griffith (Jr.)
Western Illinois - Sophia Thorne (So.)
2025-26 OVC Men's Golf Predicted Order of Finish
1. Little Rock (8) - 98 points
2. UT Martin (2) - 85
3. Tennessee Tech - 81
4. SIUE (1) - 77
5. Morehead State - 68
6. Lindenwood - 55
7. Southern Indiana - 44
8. Bryant - 32
9. Eastern Illinois - 29
10. Tennessee State - 19
11. Western Illinois - 16
2025-26 OVC Men's Players to Watch
Bryant - Dylan Gallagher (Sr.)
Eastern Illinois - Luke Watson (Fr.)
Lindenwood - Francisco Gavilan (Fr.)
Little Rock - Ed Featherstone (So.)
Morehead State - Seamus Bogan (So.)
SIUE - Brady Kaufmann (Sr.)
Southern Indiana - Carter Goebel (Sr.)
Tennessee State - Jackson Pieratt (Fr.)
Tennessee Tech - Haden Maxwell (Sr.)
UT Martin - Luke Caldwell (Sr.)
Western Illinois - Owen Howe (So.)
