September 18, 2008

VCU RANKED 40TH IN LATEST GOLFWEEK RANKINGS
Griffin 17th in individual rankings

RICHMOND, Va.—After a hot start, the Virginia Commonwealth University golf team is climbing up the GolfWeek national rankings. VCU, which has finished second and third at its two tournaments this fall, enters the weekly rankings in the 40th position. VCU has beaten 24 of its 27 opponents this season. The three teams that have beaten the Rams this season, Arkansas (fourth), North Carolina State (31st) and Purdue (39th), are all ranked in the top 40. The Rams have beaten 12 teams in the top 100, including three in the top 50.

“It’s early in the year, and we’ve got some guys playing good golf,” said VCU head coach Matt Ball. “There’s no question we can beat a lot of those teams ranked ahead of us if our guys play like they can. We’ve got a good field coming to the VCU Shootout, so we’re going to be prepared and excited to hopefully move forward.

Making a splash in the individual rankings is junior Lanto Griffin (Blacksburg, Va.). Griffin is ranked 17th nationally after finishing second at the Rutherford Intercollegiate and fifth at the Maryland Intercollegiate. Griffin is one of three VCU juniors ranked among the nation’s 125 golfers. Vincent Nadeau (Penhook, Va.) is ranked 67th, while Rafael Campos (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) comes in at 125th.

“We’ve been talking about how those guys are the meat and potatoes of our lineup,” Ball said. “We’re going to be relying on them for this year and next year. (Sophomore) Mark Jargren (Helsingborg, Sweden) has been showing some good signs of life, too. If those guys can keep improving and playing well, hopefully we can keep moving up.”

The Rams will next host the VCU Shootout at Hermitage Country Club on Sept. 29-30. Eleven of the 15 teams participating are ranked in the top 150, including five in the top 50.