WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) has announced the 2025 Men's Golf Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll, with defending back-to-back champion New England College earning the top spot heading into this weekend's GNAC Men's Golf Championship.

The Pilgrims collected three first-place votes and totaled 57 points in the poll, edging out Albertus Magnus College, which also received three first-place votes and finished just one point behind with 56, who is expected to challenge NEC next weekend as the top contender to overtake the crown at the top spot according to the league's eight head coaches. Norwich University landed third with 53 points and two first-place votes, positioning the Cadets as another strong contender for the conference crown.

Saint Joseph's College of Maine and Emmanuel College are tied for fourth place with 37 points apiece, followed by Dean College in sixth with 23 points and Mitchell College in seventh with 15 points. Elms College rounds out the poll with 12 points.

The 2025 GNAC Men's Golf Championship will take place October 13–14 at New Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut at 12:00 pm. The tournament is hosted by Albertus Magnus College, with teams competing for the GNAC title and an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship in May during the spring season.

Team Previews

New England College enters the weekend as the slight favorite after a very solid fall campaign that included multiple top finishes and consistent scoring from across the lineup. The Pilgrims look to capture their third GNAC title behind a balanced roster led by senior and one-time GNAC Golfer of the Week Graham Hassan and freshman/one-time Rookie of the Week Emil Elias as they look to bring home top-finishes for the Pilgrims in next week's tournament.

Albertus Magnus sits just one point behind NEC in the poll. The Falcons will look to build on their impressive results from the fall invitationals as they are led by two-time GNAC Rookie of the Week winner Pierson Hester, who will be in the hunt for a top-finish at the tournament.

Norwich University, ranked third, brings a mix of veteran leadership and rising young talent. The Cadets claimed two first-place votes in the poll and are seeking their first GNAC Championship. The Cadets are led by junior and three-time Golfer of the Week Cooper Bertrand, who will certainly be expected to be amongst the top-finishers across the two-day stretch.

Saint Joseph's (Maine) and Emmanuel round out the top half of the standings, tied for fourth with 37 points each. Both teams have posted solid performances this fall and will aim to contend for a podium finish. The Monks have rising young talent across their roster including freshman Finn Manning (one-time Golfer/Rookie of the Week recipient) and freshman Jason Curran, who will look to push SJC back to the top for the first time since 2022. The Saints will look to build a strong outing next week as they have posted some strong finishes in invitational play this fall season. Emmanuel is led by junior captain Ryan Brunet as sophomore Andrew Lavoie and reigning Golfer/Rookie of the Week recipient Jack Ouellette look to make some noise in Hamden.

Dean collects the sixth spot as the Bulldogs look to interrupt the placement of teams next week led by senior Matt Brangiforte and one-time Rookie of the Week Case Lachance.

Mitchell and Elms round out the eight-team field, all looking to make a statement on championship weekend with the Mariners led by sophomore Nathan Mahoney and the Blazers led by sophomore Tanyon Duff.

2025 GNAC Men's Golf Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1.              New England College (3) 57

2.              Albertus Magnus (3) 56

3.              Norwich (2) 53

T-4.          Saint Joseph's (Maine) 37

T-4.          Emmanuel 37

6.              Dean 23

7.              Mitchell 15

8.              Elms 12