Indiana University Athletics
Hoosier Golf at NCAA Regionals
5/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
May 7, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Both Hoosier men's and women's golf programs have qualified for the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
The Indiana University women's golf team was one of 63 teams selected to participate in the NCAA Regionals. The Hoosiers will travel to Athens, Ga., May 8-10, to compete in the East Regional.
"We are extremely excited to be in the field," said head coach Clint Wallman. "We have never been to this course, but we were discussing that if we made it in, this is the course we wanted to play."
The UGA Course stretches over 7,000 yards and plays to a par of 72. It has been rated by Golf Digest as one of the top 50 public courses in the nation. Opened for play in 1968, the UGA Course was designed by famed architect Robert Trent Jones.
In addition to the eighth-ranked Bulldogs, who finished third at the SEC Championship, the field includes three-time defending national champion Duke, No. 4 Florida, No. 10 Auburn, No. 14 Wake Forest, and No. 18 Tennessee. Indiana is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championship last weekend at Penn State.
Last year the Hoosiers recorded a surprising fourth-place finish at the NCAA Central Regional and advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1997-98 season. Big Ten Champion Purdue will play in the Central Regional in Austin, Texas, while Michigan State and Ohio State were named to the West Regional in Sacramento, Calif.
For the fourth time in five years, the No. 23 Indiana men's golf team has been selected to the NCAA Men's Golf Championships, it was announced by the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee on Monday evening. The Hoosiers will participate in the NCAA Central Regional at the Scarlet Golf Course in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday-Saturday, May 15-17.
Indiana is the eighth seed in the 27-team regional. Ohio State University will serve as the host school.
"It is great to be back in the NCAA Regionals," Indiana head coach Mike Mayer said. "We felt a little shortchanged and disappointed we missed out last season, so we took care of business and made it easy on ourselves with our play this regular season. We are not happy just making it. Our goal is to advance to the NCAA Finals and to make a run at a national championship."
Three 54-hole regional tournaments will be conducted May 15-17. A total of 27 teams and six individuals not on selected teams were assigned to each regional site. Ten teams and two individuals not on advancing teams will move on from each regional to the championship finals.
The championships will be conducted May 28-31 on the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue University is the host institution for this year's championships.
Indiana is back in the NCAA field after narrowly missing out on a postseason berth last season. It is the fourth NCAA berth in Mayer's 10 years at the helm of the IU program.
The Hoosiers left no doubt of its postseason fate with a phenomenal regular season. Indiana is ranked 23rd in both Golfweek's and Golfstat's rankings. IU claimed championships at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate and the UMB Bank-Mizzou Tiger Classic.
In its last trip to the NCAAs, Indiana tied for 11th at the NCAA East Regional in 2005-06. The Hoosiers finished seven shots shy of a trip to the NCAA Finals.
Indiana made an appearance in the NCAA Central Regional in Mayer's first postseason following the 2003-04 campaign. The Hoosiers shared 20th place in the 27-team field. In the coach's other two NCAA trips, IU was sent to the East Regional.
For updated information, visit:
IU Women's Golf Home Page
NCAA Women's Golf Home Page
IU Men's Golf Home Page
NCAA Men's Golf Home Page
