SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference officially announced the Preseason Team and Coaches Poll for the upcoming men's golf season.
 
For San Francisco, the Dons were picked to finish second in the conference this spring as the green and gold tallied 43 total points in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll, which was voted on by the league's nine head coaches.
 
Additionally, reigning WCC Newcomer of the Year Jakob Melin and Ben Partridge, who earned Honorable Mention honors in 2022-23, were both named to this year's WCC Preseason Team.
 
"We are excited for the recognition," said head coach Jack Kennedy. "We did a lot of good things as a group this fall to put us in a position to achieve our team goal of playing in the postseason. Ben and Jakob were a big part of our success and we will continue to count on them and the whole roster to keep getting better and staying committed to being great."
 
This past fall, San Francisco continued their success as the Dons picked up right where they left off after finishing 20^thoverall at the 2023 NCAA National Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz. last May. Beginning at home in their backyard, USF started the fall by placing second overall as a team at the USF/Howard Intercollegiate on Sept. 18 + 19, which was hosted at TPC Harding Park.
 
After a fourth-place finish at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, N.M. on Sept. 25 + 26, the Dons picked up their first tournament victory of the year by shooting 19-under as a group to take home the team title. Individually, Partridge (T-3^rd) and Melin (T-6^th) both finished in the top ten.
 
For Melin, the sophomore has shined once again for USF this year. Overall, he has shot par or better in 13 of his 15 rounds this year, including shooting a season-low 65 twice, as his best finish was second overall at the USF/Howard Intercollegiate back in September. Across five tournaments this fall, Melin recorded a team-high 68 birdies and two eagles.
 
For Partridge, the senior has impressed for San Francisco by shooting par or better in 11 of his 15 rounds so far this year. Overall, he has recorded three top ten finishes for the Dons in 2023-24, including tying for third twice. Across five tournaments this fall, Partridge accumulated 58 birdies and one eagle
 
The full 2023-24 WCC Men's Golf Preseason Team and Preseason Coaches Poll can be viewed below:
 
WCC Preseason Team
Trevor Algya, LMU
Kristian Bressum, Saint Mary's
Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine
Tony Hendricks, LMU
Riley Lewis, LMU
Jakob Melin, San Francisco
JP Odland, Santa Clara
Ben Partridge, San Francisco
Connor Reis, Saint Mary's
Andi Xu, San Diego
 
WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
LMU (7) 49
San Francisco (1) 43
Saint Mary's 33
Pepperdine 31
Santa Clara 25
San Diego 23
Pacific 12
Gonzaga 8
 
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco men's golf program, please follow the Dons @USFDonsMensGolf on Twitter, @USFDonsGolf on Instagram and @USFDonsMensGolf on Facebook.