The Saint John's golf team takes on St. Thomas for a dual meet, the final tune-up before the NCAA Division III Championship May 13-16, at 2 p.m. today (Friday, May 2) at the Links at Northfork in Ramsey.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: No. 18 Saint John's tied for first out of 18 teams at its rain-shortened SJU Spring Invitational last Saturday (April 26) at the St. Cloud C.C. (par 72. The Johnnies (+8, 296) tied for the team title with Division II St. Cloud State and Wisconsin-Eau Claire, two shots ahead of Concordia-Moorhead (+10, 298) in fourth. Senior Casey Vangsness (Alexandria, Minn.) led the 98 golfers with a four-under par 68 to earn his first medalist honor of the season and seventh of his career. The 68 matched teammate Tommy Koehler's (Eden Prairie, Minn.) 68 recorded 48 hours earlier on the same course in the five-shot win (289-294) over SCSU April 24. Koehler and junior Brett Draxler (Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) followed Vangsness Saturday with a three-over par 76 each. Sophomore Max Deutz (Marshall, Minn.) led SJU Blue, which took eighth out of the 18 teams with a 304 (+16), with a one-over par 73 to tie for ninth. Freshman Mack Farley (Lakeville, Minn./South) added a 75 (+3).

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Despite wins in all three of its competitions/tournaments this spring, SJU fell two spots to No. 20 in the latest Golf World/Nike Golf Division III Coaches' poll released May 1.

LAST YEAR'S DUAL: Saint John's opened its spring season with a 295-302 dual win over St. Thomas last March 28 (2013) at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Fla. Junior Derek Brinker (St. Michael, Minn./Heritage Academy, Fla.) led the Johnnies with a career-best three-under par 69. Vangsness followed with a 74 (+2) and Koehler added a 75 (+3). Junior Drew Lynch (Stillwater, Minn.) and Dennis Granath '13 rounded out the Johnnies' five with a 77 and 78, respectively. Junior Alex Kapraun matched Brinker's 69 to lead the Tommies.