Women’s Golf Selected for NCAA West Regional

A day after winning the Western Athletic Conference Championship, the New Mexico State women’s golf team was selected by the NCAA to participate in the West Region of the NCAA Division I regional round being played Thursday, May 8, through Saturday, May 10.

The Aggies earned an automatic bid into the regional after Sunday’s come-from-behind win at the WAC tournament. NM State heads to Ce Elum, Wash., to play at the Tumble Creek at Suncadia Resort. There will be three 18-hole rounds played at the West Regional, which is being hosted by the University of Washington.

“Playing the Tumble Creek Golf Course in the West Regional will obviously be a tough challenge,” Aggie assistant coach Danny Bowen said, “but at the same time it will provide a great learning experience for our team. We will get to see how our play stacks up against some of the best teams in the nation on a championship golf course.”

NM State earned the No. 22 seed in the 24-team field at the regional. Also in the West Regional is the Aggies’ in-state rival, New Mexico, which is seeded right ahead of NM State at No. 21. There are also six golfers who qualified for the regional round as individuals.

The No. 1 seed in the West is the top team in the country and defending national champion, Southern California. Arizona State and Oklahoma round out the top-3 teams in the region.

There are a total of three regions in the regional round, West, East and Central. Duke is the top seed in the East while UCLA is the No. 1 seed in the Central. There are a total of 72 teams, 24 in each region, competing for 24 spots into the NCAA Championship. The top eight teams from each region, along with the top two individuals that are not on a qualifying team, will advance to the NCAA Championship which will be played May 20-23 at the Tulsa Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

“We are excited that our season isn’t finished yet,” Bowen said. “These ladies deserved to win the WAC title with their hard work and great attitudes that they have put forth all year. As for (head coach) Jackie (Booth) and I, we are just excited to be bringing the program back to form.”

Stay in touch with NMStateSports.com for further details, including the Aggies’ lineup, course information and tee times.

PARTICIPANTS AND SEEDS AT WEST REGIONAL (CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS IN PARANTHESES)

Teams:

1. University of Southern California

2. Arizona State University

3. University of Oklahoma (Big 12 Conference)

4. University of Washington

5. Clemson University

6. Wake Forest University

7. Northwestern University

8. Michigan State University (Big Ten Conference)

9. Iowa State University

10. Georgia Regents University Augusta

11. University of Oregon

12. Texas A&M University, College Station

13. University of California, Davis (Big West Conference)

14. University of Denver (The Summit League)

15. San Diego State University

16. University of Wisconsin, Madison

17. Gonzaga University

18. University of Notre Dame

19. University of Tennessee, Knoxville

20. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Southern Conference)

21. University of New Mexico (Mountain West Conference)

22. New Mexico State University (Western Athletic Conference)

23. Portland State University (Big Sky Conference)

24. University of Detroit Mercy (Horizon League)

Individuals:

1. Alison Knowles (University of Louisiana, Monroe)

2. Regan De Guzman (San Jose State University)

3. Clariss Guce (California State University Northridge)

4. Fabiola Arriaga (University of Texas, San Antonio)

5. Madchen Ly (California State University, Fresno)

6. Alexandra White (Brigham Young University)