No. 18 Saint John's golf opens its spring schedule with a dual against Monmouth (Ill.) at noon MT Thursday, March 7, at the ASU Karsten Golf Course (par 72, 7,057 yards) in Mesa, Ariz.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Then-No. 17 Saint John's ended its fall schedule with an eighth-place finish out of 18 teams at the prestigious Golfweek Division III Fall Invitational back on Oct. 16 at the Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort's Raven G.C. (par 71) in Destin, Fla. The 18-team field included 12 schools ranked in Golfstat's top 25 in NCAA Division III. 

Top-ranked Emory (Ga.) won the tournament by nine shots with a 10-under par 842. No. 2 Huntingdon (Ala.) was second at 851 (-1) and No. 7 Southwestern (Texas) was third (+4, 856).

The Johnnies tied No. 17 LaGrange (Ga.) at 876 (+24), three shots from sixth, and defeated four schools that were ranked ahead of them by Golfstat. SJU tied for the sixth-best score on the final day, a 3-over par 287.

Senior Jack Koehler (Eden Prairie, Minn.) recorded his second consecutive 71 (E) to tie for 10th out of 90 golfers with a three-round total of 212 (-1). He ended the fall schedule with a team-leading 74.6 scoring average and five rounds at par or better (out of 17 rounds). Junior David Schneider (Albany, Minn.) led the Johnnies Tuesday with a 2-under par 69 to tie for 28th overall (+6, 219). Sophomore Preston Kopel (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) and junior Matt Wahl (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) followed with a 222 (+9) and 223 (+10), respectively.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: SJU stayed at No. 18 in the latest Division III Bushnell Golfweek Coaches' top-25 poll released Feb. 15. St. Thomas is No. 24 and Gustavus Adolphus received votes.

LAST YEAR'S TOURNEY: Then-No. 10 SJU won a four-team tournament, hosted by then-No. 21 Arizona Christian last March 8 (2018) at Moon Valley C.C. The Johnnies shot a 304 (+16), followed by a second-place tie between the Firestorm and Division II MSU-Mankato at 312 (+24). Monmouth (Ill.) followed in fourth (+60, 348). 

Kopel led SJU with a 2-over par 74 to tie for second out of 29 golfers in his first varsity appearance. Koehler and Schneider carded a 76 (+4) each to tie for fourth and Sam Olson '18 posted a 78 (+6) to tie for 10th. Junior Matt Lutz (Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace) rounded out the Johnnies' five with an 83 (+11). Austin Kottke '18 led SJU's three individuals with a 76 (+4).