BRIGHTON, Mich. - Saint Mary's College Golf was selected to finish second in the 2026-27 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Golf Preseason Poll.
 
The preseason poll was determined by a vote of the MIAA's nine head coaches and features a competitive field highlighted by returning All-MIAA honorees, conference award winners, and experienced golfers heading into the new season.
 
The nine team MIAA will feature four fall Jamboree events and the Spring Finale in April. The first Jamboree will be held on September 14 in Albion, MI while the remaining will fall on September 22, October 6 and will close out with a home Jamboree for the Belles on October 12 at the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame.
 
Saint Mary's received four first place votes and 56 total points while Trine University was projected to finish first with 59 points and received three first place votes.
 
Following the Thunder and Belles are Albion College, Adrian College, Kalamazoo College, Hope College, Calvin University, Alma College, and the University of Olivet. Albion and Kalamazoo also received one first place vote each.
 
Saint Mary's is coming off their third consecutive MIAA Championship last spring, and their third NCAA Division III National Championship appearance. Last season the team set a program record for scoring average in a season, 318.14, while also setting a program record for a 36-hole tournament score with a 606 at the MIAA Championships, shooting 307-299.
 
After the graduation of one of the most successful senior classes in program history, the Belles return one senior, two juniors, and three sophomores while welcoming in three first year student-athletes. Senior Colleen Hand (Royal Oak, MI) and junior Ella Notaro (Crystal Lake, IL) lead the program as the lone returning members from the team's NCAA Championship appearance in the spring. 
 
The two are joined by junior KJ Walters (Kalamazoo, MI) and sophomores Nina Notaro (Crystal Lake, IL), Kate Plessinger (Columbus, OH), and Katharine Swain (South Bend, IN). Plessinger and Swain saw significant play time for the Belles last season as Plessinger competed in 10 rounds and Swain in 13.
 
The Belles welcome in three first year student-athletes including Stella Bernhardt from Ada, MI and Margaret Deimel from Grand Rapids, MI. The two Michiganders are joined by Peyton Kauzlick from Noblesville, IN.