Northville's girls golf team reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the state coaches poll.
The Mustangs returned to the top of the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association (MIGCA) Division 1 rankings for the week of Tuesday, Sept. 22, according to The Oakland Press. Northville had held the No. 1 ranking to open the season before Rochester Adams jumped ahead in early September.
Novi also cracked the poll at No. 9, giving the area two ranked programs heading into the final stretch before regionals.
The full Division 1 top nine: Northville, Macomb Dakota, Rochester Adams, Okemos, Grand Blanc, Troy, Clarkston, Brighton and Novi. Lake Orion, Byron Center and Hartland earned honorable mention.
Two weeks at No. 2
Rochester Adams first overtook Northville in the Sept. 8 poll and held the top spot through the Sept. 15 rankings. MLive reported that the top two swapped places in the latest poll, with Northville returning to the position it held at the start of the season.
Macomb Dakota climbed to No. 2, pushing Adams down to No. 3. Grand Blanc made the biggest jump in the division, rising five spots to No. 5.
Dynasty chasing a third straight title
The ranking matters for seeding confidence, but Northville's recent history speaks louder. The Mustangs have won six MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 championships in eight years, including back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025.
In October 2025, Northville posted a 643 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State in Allendale, beating runner-up Macomb Dakota by 29 strokes. Three members of that championship squad are back for the 2026 season: Naaz Gill, who finished fourth individually with a 154, and McKenzie Stevens and Cam Baker, who tied for seventh at 158 apiece.
Head coach Kate Schultz and co-coach Trish Murray lead a program that has been ranked No. 1 for most of the past two seasons. After winning the 2025 title, Schultz described the mentality that drives the program.
"We always tell the girls to play like we're five shots behind," Schultz said in October 2025, after the Mustangs captured their sixth championship.
What's next
Regionals begin Monday, Oct. 5, the next milestone for both Northville and Novi as the postseason approaches.
