March 17, 2000

OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's golf team tries to repeat as team champions at the Alabama Spring Invitational this weekend in Montgomery, Ala. The three-day, 54-hole event is held at the 6,773-yard, par 72 Lagoon Park Golf Course and begins Friday.

The Rebels took top honors at last year's tournament, firing an 856, the fifth-lowest three-round score in school history. Ole Miss placed three players in the top five to earn head coach Woody Cowart his fifth career coaching title.

The Rebels will be tested this year by a strong field that includes Auburn, Mississippi State, South Alabama, UAB, LSU, Southern Miss, South Florida, North Florida, Central Florida, Georgia State, SE Louisiana, Memphis Vanderbilt, Troy State, MTSU and host Alabama.

Ole Miss is fresh off its best finish of the year. The Rebels finished runner-up at the Birkdale Collegiate Golf Classic last weekend in Davidson, N.C., shooting a 288-288-302--878.

Sophomore Andrew Medley led Ole Miss, placing eighth for his first career top 10 finish. Senior Jon Bartlett was ninth to pick up his second straight top 10 performance and fourth of the year. He has placed in the top 20 of his last six tournaments.

Bartlett tied for third in last year's Alabama Spring and is likely to be joined this weekend by Medley, juniors Phil Caravia and Troy Muller, and senior Chris Malloy, who tied for fifth a year ago.