May 6, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS (NCAA.com)--The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee has selected the teams and individuals to participate in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships.

The championships will be conducted May 28-31 on the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana.  Purdue University is the host institution for this year's championships.

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.

Listed below are the teams and individuals selected to participate in the championships.  Teams winning automatic qualification are designated by their conferences in parentheses.

Complete NCAA Regional Selections

East Regional The East regional will be played May 15-17 at the Council Fire Golf Club, Chattanooga, Tenn., hosted by University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Conference automatic qualifiers are indicated in parenthesis next to the institution. Teams: 1. Georgia 2. Charlotte (A-10) 3. South Carolina 4. Duke 5. Chattanooga (SoCon) 6. Auburn 7. East Tennessee State 8. Michigan State (Big Ten) 9. Mississippi 10. UAB (C-USA) 11. Virginia Tech 12. NC State 13. Mississippi State 14. Georgia State (CAA) 15. North Florida (Atlantic Sun) 16. UC Irvine (Big West) 17. Augusta State 18. SMU 19. Middle Tennessee 20. Coastal Carolina (Big South) 21. Memphis 22. Virginia 23. Western Carolina 24. Colorado State (Mountain West) 25. New Mexico St. (WAC) 26. Western Illinois (Summit) 27. Jackson State (Southwestern) Individuals: 1. Keegan Bradley (St. John's NY) 2. Jose Toledo (New Orleans) 3. Johnny Caldwell (South Alabama) 4. Michael McGrady (Troy) 5. Jon Curran (Vanderbilt) 6. Grant Leaver (Austin Peay)

Central Regional The Central regional will be played May 15-17 at the Scarlet G.C., Columbus, Ohio, hosted by The Ohio State University. Conference automatic qualifiers are indicated in parenthesis next to the institution. Teams: 1. Alabama (SEC) 2. Oklahoma St. (Big 12) 3. Georgia Tech 4. Florida 5. Tennessee 6. Lamar (Southland) 7. Wake Forest 8. Indiana 9. Texas A&M 10. Louisville 11. Wichita St. (MVC) 12. Kent State 13. Penn State 14. Arkansas 15. Michigan 16. TCU 17. Texas-Arlington 18. Illinois 19. Ohio State 20. Baylor 21. Colorado 22. Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley) 23. Marquette (Big East) 24. Eastern Michigan (MAC) 25. Cleveland State (Horizon) 26. Loyola Md. (MAAC) 27. Sacred Heart (NEC)  Individuals: 1. Chris Baker (Iowa State) 2. Clayton Rask (Minnesota) 3. Josh Sandman (Notre Dame) 4. Victor Almstrom (Minnesota) 5. Brent Long (Western Kentucky) 6. Jordan Weber (Northern Iowa)

West Regional The West regional will be played May 15-17 at Gold Mountain Golf Club, Bremerton, Wash., hosted by University of Washington. Conference automatic qualifiers are indicated in parenthesis next to the institution. Teams: 1. Southern California 2. UCLA 3. Florida State (ACC) 4. Stanford 5. Clemson 6. UNLV 7. North Carolina 8. Texas Tech 9. Central Florida 10. Arizona St. (Pac 10) 11. San Diego State 12. Texas 13. LSU 14. Oregon State 15. Pepperdine 16. Oregon 17. California 18. St. Mary's (Calif.) 19. Kentucky 20. Wisconsin 21. Washington 22. Oklahoma 23. Kansas State 24. San Diego (WCC) 25. Denver (Sun Belt) 26. Navy (Patriot) 27. Columbia (Ivy)  Individuals: 1. Troy Merritt (Boise State) 2. Brian Locke (Loyola Marymount) 3. Tarquin Macmanus (Arizona) 4. Jason D'Amore (Loyola Marymount) 5. Nathan Stamey (UNC Greensboro) 6. Jimmy Lytle (Elon)

ACC Teams in the 2008 NCAA Championship Field 

FLORIDA ST. - No. 3 in West Regional

Seminole Men's Golf Team Selected To Play In NCAA West Regional

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The ACC Champion Florida State Men's Golf team has been selected to play in the NCAA West Regional Championship on May 15-17 at the Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Washington. The Seminoles are making their third consecutive NCAA regional championship appearance under fifth-year Head Coach Trey Jones, who was named the 2008 ACC Coach of the Year.

"We were all sitting in my office and listening to the conference call and our guys were very happy to hear our name called," Said Jones. "We are just excited to get going. When you look at each region they are all very well balanced. There are going to be upsets so we have to be ready to play 54 holes. Our objective is to go out and win two golf tournaments in a row."

The Seminoles are ranked 10th and Seminole All-American and two-time All-ACC selection Jonas Blixt is ranked as the No. 7 individual in the nation in this week's GolfWeek/Sagarin poll. The Seminoles are the second highest ranked ACC team while Blixt is the second highest ranked ACC player in the nation. Florida State won its first ever ACC Championship with a three stroke victory over Duke at the Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point, N.C. on April 20. The Seminoles finished the event with a season-best score of 26-under par. Duke, co-leader or leader for the first two rounds, finished second at 23-under par.

GEORGIA TECH - No. 3 in Central Regional

Georgia Tech Golf Team Sent to NCAA Central Regional

ATLANTA - Georgia Tech's golf team, ranked 8th in the nation, has been made the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Central Regional, which will be played May 15-17 at the Ohio State Scarlet Course in Columbus Ohio. Tech will be bidding to advance to the NCAA Championship for the 11th consecutive year and for the 22nd time in the last 26 years.

Top-ranked Alabama and No. 5 Oklahoma State are the top two seeds ahead of the Yellow Jackets, who have been moved out of their geographic region for the second time in three years. Tech was placed in the Central Regional in Chardon, Ohio, outside Cleveland, two years ago. This Central field includes 15 of the nation's top 50 teams in the most recent Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index.

"It all starts right now. It's great to be in for another year," said head coach Bruce Heppler. "It's a good field, and there's no faking it. The best teams will get out of there."

DUKE - No. 4 in East Regional

Blue Devils Receive East Region Bid

DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke men's golf team received its ninth straight (15th overall) NCAA regional bid on Monday. The Blue Devils were seeded No. 4 in the East Region and will travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. from May 15-17 to compete for a spot in the NCAA Championship. The East Regional will be held at the par-72, 6,999-yard Council Fire Golf Club.

"We are really looking forward to the East Regional and the NCAA Finals," said head coach O.D. Vincent. "We approach the event as a seven round tournament focusing on winning regional, not just qualifying.  We need to be fully prepared and execute all we have learned this year." 

Duke has competed in the East Regional 14 times recording a program-best fourth place finish in 1997 regional at the Cascade Course in Hot Springs, Va. The Blue Devils have advanced on to the NCAA Championships from the East Regional seven times overall.

Duke is coming off a second place finish in the ACC Championship. The Blue Devils have a pair of tournament wins (Coca-Cola Duke Golf Classic & River Landing Intercollegiate) and have finished in the top 5 in seven of 10 team events this season. All-ACC selections Michael Schachner and Clark Klaasen headline the Blue Devil lineup that has had all five members record at least one top 10 finish this season.

CLEMSON - No. 5 in West Regional

Tigers Chosen for NCAA Golf Tournament for 27th Consecutive Year

CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson's golf team received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 27th consecutive year on Monday. The streak of appearances is the second longest in college golf, trailing only the active streak of 62 consecutive years by Oklahoma State. It is the 28th overall bid for the Clemson men's golf program.

Larry Penley's team will start play in the NCAA West Regional on Thursday, May 15. It marks the first time the Tigers will not be playing in either the East or Central Regional. The tournament will be held at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Washington. The 54-hole event will continue through Saturday, May 17. The top 10 teams in the 27-team regional will advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament at The Kampen Course at Purdue University, May 28-31.

Clemson will not be the only team from the Atlantic Coast Conference participating in the West Regional. Florida State and North Carolina will also join the Tigers in Washington. Clemson will be the #5 seed in the regional.

This is Penley's 25th season as Clemson head coach and all 25 years he has taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament, the longest streak in Clemson athletics history in any team sport.

WAKE FOREST - No. 7 in Central Regional

Wake Forest Receives Bid to NCAA Central Regional

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The No. 19 Wake Forest men's golf team will return to a familiar postseason site as the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Central Regional in Columbus, Ohio.

The regional will take place May 15-17.

"It's a difficult course. It'll be a good test for us," Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas said. "There are no weak teams here. Ohio State is the 19-seed in the regional and they're playing on their home course, so you can throw that seed out."

Twenty seven teams will play Ohio State's Scarlet Course, which has witnessed five Deacon NCAA Championship appearances and a Wake Forest national championship in 1975.

"It's going to take some solid golf and a lot of patience to get to the next round," Haas said. "We're excited about it; we're always excited about the postseason. The guys are ready to go with exams being over and they're just ready to play some golf."

NORTH CAROLINA - No. 7 in West Regional

UNC Men's Golf Team Receives NCAA West Regional Bid

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina men's golf team was one of 27 teams to receive a bid to participate in the NCAA West Regional. The 54-hole event will be played May 15-17 at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash.

"We are very excited to be in the West Regional at the Gold Mountain Golf Club," says head coach John Inman. "They have hosted some prestigious events and we look forward to an exciting trip out west."

Carolina, ranked 20th in the latest Golfstat Rankings, tied for the team championship at last fall's Bank of Tennessee at The Ridges Intercollegiate. The Tar Heels carded five top-five and nine top-10 finishes this year in their 10 events. Carolina placed third at the ACC Championship, finished fourth at the Seminole Intercollegiate and the UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate Championship, and finished fifth at the Administaff Augusta State Invitational.

Tar Heel freshman Kevin O'Connell, from Cary, N.C., has had a spectacular year with seven top-10 and nine top-25 finishes in Carolina's 10 tournaments. O'Connell, an All-ACC performer this year, was recently selected the ACC Freshman of the Year. His top finish was a tie for third place at the Seminole Intercollegiate where he posted a six-under-par 210 total. In his most recent outing, O'Connell tied for sixth place at the ACC Championship. O'Connell boasts a 71.07 stroke average, which leads the Tar Heel team.

VIRGINIA TECH - No. 11 in East Regional

Hokie Golfers Earn NCAA Bid

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech golf team has received an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Men's Golf Championship. The Hokies will compete May 15-17 as the 11^th seed in the East Regional at Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn., hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

This will be the Hokies' second consecutive NCAA appearance and their 10^th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championship. Tech was the 16^th seed in the East Regional last season and finished 12^th in the event at the Golf Club of Georgia. Three golfers, seniors Jurrian van der Vaart and Nick MacDonald, and junior Drew Weaver return from last year's NCAA competitors.

"We are very proud to represent Virginia Tech in the NCAA Regionals and are excited to be playing in Chattanooga where our fans can come and support our team," head coach Jay Hardwick said. "The players built on the success of last season's ACC Championship and had an outstanding season. We look forward to continuing our season in the national championship."

NC STATE - No. 12 in East Regional

NC State Men's Golf Picked to NCAA East Regional

RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State men's golf team was selected to the NCAA Men's Golf Regional Championships Monday evening with an at-large bid. The Wolfpack earned a No. 12 seed, and will be one of 27 teams competing at the East Regional, which will be played May 15-17 at the Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The NCAA Division I Men's Golf East Regional is a preliminary round of the NCAA Division I Men's Championship. The East Regional will consist of a 54-hole tournament with 27 teams and six individual players competing. The low 10 teams and low two individuals not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be held at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The NC State men's golf program will be making its 16th trip, and the ninth in the last 11 years, to the NCAA Regionals, all under the direction of coach Richard Sykes. The Pack has been successful its last five trips to the NCAA Regionals, all top-10 finishes. Last time the Pack went was in 2006, and the Wolfpack came back from the West Regional in fifth place. In 2004 NC State tied for 10th, finished third in 2003, fifth in 2002 and second in 2001. NC State will be joined at the East Regional by ACC foes Duke, Virginia Tech and Virginia.

VIRGINIA - No. 22 in East Regional

Virginia Men's Golf Team Receives NCAA Bid

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - For the first time since 2005 the Virginia men's golf team has received a bid to the NCAA Championships. The Cavaliers will compete at the East Regional Championship May 15-17 at the Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. The top 10 teams from each of the three 27-team regional sites will advance to the NCAA Championships along with the top two individuals from each site. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for May 28-31 at Purdue's Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex-The Kampen Course.

Virginia is the No. 22 seed in the East Regional.

"It is an honor to be recognized as one of the top teams in the country and have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championships," said UVa coach Bowen Sargent. "This is a big step forward for our program to do what they had to do late in the year to be selected. Any time you have youth, you cannot be certain of the results, but the guys matured a lot through the year and grew a lot as players and as a team collectively. They knew what they had to do and did it."

The regional berth marks the 12th time since 1990 the Cavaliers have advanced to postseason play. Virginia is looking to advance to the NCAA Championships for the 11th time in its history and the first time since finishing 25th at the 2000 tournament.