South Dakota senior golfer Max Schmidtke was named a Golfer to Watch by the Summit League as announced by the league Thursday afternoon. It is the second straight season Schmidtke has appeared on the preseason list.
 
In addition to the individual honor for Schmidtke, South Dakota was picked to finish in a tie for seventh place in the preseason standings. North Dakota State was picked first in the poll.
 
Schmidtke leads the team with a 74 stroke average entering the spring season. He was one of three golfers to compete in all 15 rounds. The Sheboygan, Wisconsin, native finished two tournaments in the top-20 individually including a tie for sixth place at the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational. He shot a season-best 54-hole score of 215 at that tournament and recorded a season-low round of 70 in the final round of that meet.
 
The Coyote men will begin their spring season in Palm City, Florida, at the Advance Partners Intercollegiate hosted by UNC-Greensboro. The three-day tournament will start on Sunday, Feb. 12.
 
2023 Men's Golf Preseason Poll
1. North Dakota State 77 (8)
2. Oral Roberts 70 (1)
3. Denver 69 (1)
4. Kansas City 56
T5. St. Thomas 43
T5. South Dakota State 43
T7. Omaha 33
T7. South Dakota 33
9. North Dakota 17
10. Western Illinois 9