LONDON, U.K. (November 6, 2024) – The NCAA Division I national men's golf rankings were posted Wednesday afternoon from Scoreboard powered by Clipped. North Alabama catapulted into the top-80 with a 78th place ranking.
According to available records, the No. 78 ranking is the highest UNA has recorded in the Division I era. There are 308 men's golf teams in Division I.
The Lions are one of two schools in the nation with only two losses this fall, the other being top-ranked Ole Miss. The Rebels finish the season at 50-2-0 and the Lions conclude their fall with an astonishing record of 38-2-1 through four tournaments.
"The guys have had an amazing semester and should be proud of what they have done," said head coach Austin Phillips. "They are changing the narrative about this program, and we will keep working to stay there."
This ranking comes on the heels of another outstanding showing from Phillips and North Alabama. At the FAU Golf Invitational, the team only trailed No. 23 ranked South Florida as they won runner-up notching two top-10 individual placements.
This season included a plethora of awards with three individual crowns this season for the Lions — one for junior
Xing Luo at the GMAC Invitational and two more for sophomore
Andrew Ferworn the Cullan Brown Collegiate alongside the Turtle Point Invite.
UNA won two matches this fall with wins at the GMAC Invitational and the Turtle Point Invite. The Turtle Point Invite saw UNA set a new team record at the course with a 25-under par 839 score.
The Lions garnered four ASUN Golfer of the Week awards. Three different Lions engraved their name in the record books — Luo, Ferworn and junior
Sebastian Bengtsson. Luo secured his after his individual tournament win in Oneonta, while Ferworn registered his two after both of his individual wins. Bengtsson gave UNA its final award after his third top-10 placement of the season with the end of the FAU Golf Invitational.
Before this season, there has never been more than one ASUN Golfer of the Week award won in one fall or spring season. This is the 12th ASUN award for the Lions all-time; Bengtsson becomes the eighth different golfer to win the award for North Alabama.
The Lions lead prominent programs in the polls such as Nebraska (No. 79), Michigan State (No. 82), Kentucky (No. 88), ASUN foe FGCU (No. 93) and Missouri (No. 98), among several others.
North Alabama has competed with top-ranked teams such as No. 51 NC State at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate and No. 23 South Florida at the FAU Golf Invitational. Others include Lipscomb (No. 63) and Troy (No. 80) at the GMAC Invitational, with UNA beating both by two and 20 strokes, respectively. At the Cullan Brown Collegiate, the Lions bested Tennessee (No. 26), Kennesaw State (No. 48) and Chattanooga (No. 76).
North Alabama notches a few solid rankings as well with Ferworn climbing to No. 135 nationally, while Luo nestles in at No. 202. Bengtsson finishes at No. 430 for the final Lion inside the top-450 golfers in the nation. The player rankings clear over 2,000 total players.
The final Scoreboard rankings for the 2024 fall season will be distributed Nov. 13. The Lions concluded their season in Palm Beach Gardens at the FAU Golf Invitational and will get started in the spring at the Sea Best Invitational hosted by Jacksonville on Feb. 3, 2025.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
