St. Simons Island, Ga. – Two of the premier men's golf programs in the country paired off at Frederica Golf Course on Saturday, September 12^th as the College of Coastal Georgia welcomed Dalton State in a matchup of top ten teams in the Golden Isles. Play between the 10^th-ranked Mariners and 2^nd-ranked Roadrunners was interrupted and ultimately suspended by Inclement weather late in the afternoon.
 
Despite the finish, it was still a tremendous college golf showcase on the north end of St. Simons as both Coastal Georgia and Dalton State are two-time NAIA team national champions. Mike Cook, the Hall of Fame head coach of the Mariners, and Ben Rickett, the future Hall of Fame head coach of the Roadrunners, brought two of the most talented teams in college golf to Frederica. Both programs enter yet another season with high expectations. Both programs know each other well.  
 
Ahead of the Coastal Georgia Men's Fall Invitational set for Monday, September 14^th and Tuesday, September 15^th at Sea Palms on St. Simons, the two rivals were able to get together for what both head coaches hope becomes an established tradition.  
 
"We want make this an annual thing and call it 'The Battle for the State'," Cook explained. "They have won two national championships, we have won two. All of the All-Americans. Ben is a good friend. We were glad to be able to do it, the kids love the course."
 
Coastal Georgia is led by senior Antonio Juarbe, from Jesup, Georgia, who earned first-team NAIA All-American honors this past season and was named a finalist for the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Award, was previously named a third-team All-American twice, and has been ranked as the number one men's golfer in NAIA. Most recently, Juarbe was invited to play in the exclusive Patriot All-America Tournament.
 
Juarbe was among the headliners competing at Frederica.
 
"We were winning by the way," Cook laughed. "We couldn't finish, but that's OK."
 
The Mariners' Fall Invitational will feature 15 teams, including Dalton State, at Sea Palms, with play set to begin Monday morning.