KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The NAIA released its 2025-26 Preseason Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25 Friday, and with it came great news for William Woods University as the Owls soared up 11 spots to No. 12, their highest ranking of the Aaron Murphy era.
William Woods received 277 voting points, the second most of any Heart of America Athletic Conference program, as the Owls tee off their first campaign in the conference. MidAmerica Nazarene University, winners of the last two Heart Men's Golf Championships, earned the highest ranking of any Heart program, slotted No. 5 with 412 points.
The Owls, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Murphy, bring back plenty of depth this year, retaining first-team All-American Midwest Conference, AMC Championships runner-up Spencer Worley, second-team All-AMC golfers Tim Falk and Brayden Buffington and honorable mention All-AMC representatives Joseph McCandless and Lucas Dvorak.
Woods returns to the greens in just over three weeks, opening its fall schedule with the MVC Fall Invitational, hosted by Heart foe Missouri Valley College from Sep. 8-9 at Indian Foothills Golf Course in Marshall, Mo.
To see who else made the top 25, view the NAIA's release here.
