PERKINSTON — The Mississippi Gulf Coast golf team will begin the spring season ranked second in the country after the Bushnell Golfweek NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll was revealed Friday.

The Bulldogs, who got one first-place vote, are one point behind Kirkwood, which got three top nods. South Mountain got the other three first-place votes and are in third, eight points back.

Northeast Mississippi is ranked fifth and Meridian eighth.

Gulf Coast won the Hinds Fall Invitational and the MACCC and NJCAA District D preview tournaments in the fall. The Bulldogs tee off in spring tournament play next month in the MGCCC Spring Invitational at Windance Country Club in Gulfport. The event will be played Feb. 22-23.

There will be three other MACCC events before the postseason gets underway in April. The NJCAA Division II Championship will be played in Plymouth, Ind., in May.

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