The Illinois Springfield women's golf team has been picked fifth in the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) preseason coaches' poll, the league office announced on Tuesday.

The Prairie Stars received 96 total points, placing them in the top five of a highly competitive 13-team field. Perennial powerhouse Indianapolis was selected as the preseason favorite to repeat as champions, garnering 10 first-place votes.

At the 2025 GLVC Championships, the Prairie Stars finished fourth in medal/match play, just missing out on the match-play finals. The team's performance was headlined by star returner Elaine Grant, who finished third individually at the conference tournament to earn First Team All-GLVC honors.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Josh Edison, the Prairie Stars built significant momentum during the fall 2025 season. UIS recorded top-three finishes in all four of its fall tournaments, including a runner-up finish at the Bearcat Dual Gender in October.

Grant, now a senior, remains the focal point of the UIS lineup. During the fall, she set a program record with a single-round 68 (-4) at the UIndy Fall Invitational and secured a playoff victory to win the Dan Salisbury Memorial individual title. She is joined by a strong core including senior Ira Joshi and sophomore Lia Rody.

The program's newcomers have also made immediate impacts, contributing to a lineup that Coach Edison describes as "balanced and deep."

The Prairie Stars will look to turn their preseason ranking into postseason success when they open the spring season on March 8-10 at the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Fla. 

The complete 2026 GLVC Women's Golf Preseason Coaches' Poll is listed below.

Place	School	Points (1st-Place Votes)
1.	Indianapolis	139 (10)
2.	Missouri-St. Louis	135 (3)
3.	Lewis	122
4.	McKendree	104
5.	Illinois Springfield	96
6.	Maryville	93
7.	Drury	89
8.	William Jewell	58
9.	Quincy	56
10.	Upper Iowa	46
11.	Rockhurst	33
12.	Truman State	23
13.	Lincoln	20