The Owls and Lady Owls were selected to capture the American Midwest Conference men's and women's golf championships, respectively, in the preseason coaches' polls announced Wednesday.
The William Woods University men earned 71 points and seven first-place votes. The William Woods women received 72 points and eight first-place votes.
"We are excited about our teams and looking forward to the start of fall practice," William Woods head coach Barry Doty said. "This fall we will play numerous players in competition to help develop our young roster for the spring."
The Owls bring back eight players from last year's squad that tied for ninth at the NAIA national championships. Junior Logan Smith was named an NAIA PING All-American, while junior Tom North was a second-team all-AMC choice and junior Philipp Heller was an honorable-mention pick.
The Lady Owls return seven players from last year's team that qualified for the NAIA national championships but missed the cut for the final rounds.
Sophomore Maria Zrodowska tied for fifth at the national championships and was selected to the All-American second team. Zrodowska was named the AMC player of the year and freshman of the year. Senior Lucy Matthews was an all-conference first-team choice, while sophomore Krystal Burgtorf was an honorable-mention pick.
The William Woods women launch their season in the I-70 Shootout on Saturday, Aug. 31, at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield.
The William Woods men begin their season at the Missouri Valley Invitational on Sept. 9-10 in Marshall.