GREENVILLE, S.C.– The Conference Carolinas office released the 2026 men's golf preseason poll Thursday morning, with Chowan University projected to finish inside the top 10.
The Hawks were picked seventh in the preseason rankings as Chowan men's golf prepares to resume competition in February. Entering his 11th season at the helm, head coach Mike Ordnung has overseen steady growth within the program and looks to build on that momentum this spring with a roster featuring several key contributors.
Players to watch this season include senior Mika Buchholtz, a four-year member of the program from Pinneberg, Germany; Bjoern Holt, a three-year veteran from Sarpsborg, Norway; and freshman Gabriel Ansley of Clayton, North Carolina, who has already made an immediate impact in his first season with the Hawks.
Belmont Abbey was one of five teams to receive at least one first place vote, receiving eight first place votes and 113 points. Erskine College, Barton College, Emmanuel University and King University also received first place votes. Erskine is picked second with 101 points with Barton and Emmanuel tied for third with 97 points. The University of Mount Olive came in fifth with Young Harris coming in sixth.
Chowan University (54), King (52), Southern Wesleyan University (49), North Greenville University (42), Shorter University(29) and Ferrum College (10) rounded out the poll.
The 2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Golf Championship will take place at Cutter Creek Golf Club in Snow Hill, North Carolina from Sunday, April 19-Tuesday, April 21.
2026 Conference Carolinas
Men's Golf Preseason Poll
|
School |
Votes (first place) |
| 1 |
Belmont Abbey |
113 (8) |
| 2 |
Erskine |
101 (1) |
| 3 |
Barton |
97 (1) |
| 3 |
Emmanuel |
97 (1) |
| 5 |
Mount Olive |
85 |
| 6 |
Young Harris |
63 |
| 7 |
Chowan |
54 |
| 8 |
King |
52 (1) |
| 9 |
Southern Wesleyan |
49 |
| 10 |
North Greenville |
42 |
| 11 |
Shorter |
29 |
| 12 |
Ferrum |
10 |
2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Golf
Players to Watch
Barton
- Ryan Jahr, Sr., Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina (2025 All-Conference Carolinas)
- Giovanni Bruno, Jr., Padova, Italy (2025 All-Conference Carolinas)
- Winston Knoblach, Jr., Winneconne, Wisconsin
Belmont Abbey
- Max Newton, So., Cary, North Carolina (2025 All-Conference Carolinas)
- Mariano Estebanez Rincon, So., Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico
- Eduardo Arango, Sr., Panama City, Panama
Chowan
Emmanuel
- Lukas Lautrup-Nissen, So., Stockholm, Sweden (2025 All-Conference Carolinas)
- Pietro Fenoglio, Jr., Turin, Italy
- Gabriel Hull, Fr., South Daytona, Florida
Erskine
- Sam Allister, So., Lisburn, Northern Ireland
- Drew Andrews, So., Hartsville, South Carolina
- Carson Benfield, Jr., Smyrna, South Carolina
Ferrum
- Tiaan Diedericks, Sr., Mafikeng, South Africa
- Brandon Jones, Sr., Harrisburg, North Carolina
- Jake Chavis, Fr., Virginia Beach, Virginia
King
- Carles Calvo Molina, Sr., Barcelona, Spain
- Vetle Saether, Jr., Marion, Virginia
- Nathan Hopley, Fr., Manchester, England
Mount Olive
- Matthew Richardson, Sr., Snow Hill, North Carolina
- Lavrans Holm, Jr., Tonsberg, Norway
- Oscar Lonnqvist, So., Stockholm, Sweden (2025 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, Conference Carolinas individual champion and all-tournament team)
North Greenville
- Jon Donwen, Sr., Trenton, South Carolina
- Jaelan Fisher, Fr., Greenwood, South Carolina
- Blake Kelly, Jr., Woodruff, South Carolina
Shorter
- Nathan Martin, So., Evans, Georgia
- Jack Floyd, Gr., Savannah, Georgia
- Chandler Burns, Sr., Ringgold, Georgia
Southern Wesleyan
- Andrew Baxley, Fr., North Augusta, South Carolina
- Landon Smith, Fr., Anderson, South Carolina
- Kieran Parkins, Fr., Bromley, United Kingdom
Young Harris
- Samuel Ankelstam, Fr., Stockholm, Sweden
- Adrian Ronn, So., Bro, Sweden (2025 All-Conference Carolinas)
- Todd Marovich, Fr., Canton, Georgia
