April 27, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team will play in the NCAA Central Regional in Columbus, Ohio on May 7-9, it was announced by the NCAA selection committee on Monday afternoon. Each of the three days will consist of one 18-hole round of play. With a top-eight finish at the Regional, the Irish would advance to the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history.
Notre Dame is one of 21 teams in the Central Regional, which will be played on the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio State University will serve as the host of the Central Regional.
“I think we got a great draw in the Central Regional. It features a lot of teams we have played, including some we have beaten this season and others that we have been close to,” said head coach Susan Holt. “I also feel the team we are bringing to the Regional sets up well for that course and we should play very well,” Holt added.
The NCAA Tournament field is comprised of 63 teams, plus nine individuals on non-qualifying teams, divided among the three regional sites (Gainesville, Fla., Tempe, Ariz. and Columbus, Ohio). The top eight teams and the top-two golfers from non-advancing teams at each of the three regional sites will advance to the NCAA Finals. The Finals will take place on May 19-22 at the Caves Valley Golf Course in Owings Mills, Md. and will be hosted by Georgetown.
2009 marks Notre Dame’s fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with the Irish making their first two NCAA appearances in 2004 and 2005. The Irish received at-large berths to the Central Regional both of those years, finishing 17th and 18th, respectively.
Last season, the Irish made their third NCAA Tournament appearance after receiving an automatic bid by virtue of winning the 2008 BIG EAST Championship. They went on to finish 16th at the 2008 NCAA Central Regional, played in Austin, Texas. Notre Dame’s best finisher at the event was current senior Lisa Maunu (St. Thomas, Ontario), who tied for 30th.
For more information on the 2009 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, log onto ncaasports.com. To stay up-to-date on the Notre Dame women’s golf team as the NCAA tournament approaches, visit und.com.
Central Regional (Conference automatic qualifiers are indicated in parenthesis next to the institution)
Teams:1. UCLA2. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Conference)3. Purdue (Big Ten Conference)4. Wake Forest (Atlantic Coast Conference)5. Louisville (Big East Conference)6. Kent State (Mid-American Conference)7. Michigan State8. Ohio State9. Stanford10. New Mexico (Mountain West Conference)11. Georgia State (Colonial Athletic Association)12. Notre Dame13. North Carolina State14. Washington15. Kentucky16. Chattanooga17. Michigan18. Murray State (Ohio Valley Conference)19. Illinois State (Missouri Valley Conference)20. Harvard (Ivy Group)21. Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast Conference)
Individuals:1. Kendall Dye, Oklahoma2. Kayla Mortellaro, Idaho3. Sara Wikstrom, Arkansas, Little Rock
–ND–