Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Notre Dame Given No. 24 Seed In Central Regional Of NCAA Championships

May 10, 2004

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After waiting patiently since winning the BIG EAST Conference’s title and automatic bid April 24-25, the Notre Dame men’s golf team was given its postseason destination on Monday afternoon. The Irish will be playing in the Central Regional of the 2004 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships, which will be held on the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. Notre Dame will be the No. 24 seed in the 27-team regional hosted by Purdue, May 20-22. The Irish will be making an appearance in the NCAAs for the first time since playing in the 1966 NCAA Championships where the team finished 11th in the field of 22.

The NCAA Men’s Golf Championships consist of three regionals (East, Central, West) with each having 27 teams and six additional individuals participating in a 54-hole tournament (18 holes each day). The top 10 teams from each regional, along with two additional individuals, will advance to the NCAA Championships, June1-4. Virginia Tech will host the NCAA finals at Cascades Golf Course, The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.

Notre Dame earned its NCAA berth by securing its first BIG EAST Championship since 1997. The Irish won the 2004 BIG EAST tournament on their home course, the Warren Golf Course, by six strokes over three-time defending league champion Virgina Tech. Notre Dame trailed the Hokies by five strokes coming into the final round, and was four shots behind at the turn, but outscored Virginia Tech by 10 strokes over the final nine holes to claim its fourth BIG EAST title since joining the league in the fall of 1995.

The Irish finished the three-round event at 36-over par 876 (290-295-291),which is the team’s lowest total of the spring, second-lowest tally of the 2003-04 season and the ninth-lowest figure in Notre Dame history.

— ND —

Central Regional Teams: 1. Oklahoma State; 2. Texas; 3. TCU; 4. Minnesota; 5. Oklahoma; 6. Kentucky; 7. Arkansas; 8. Kansas; 9. Tulsa; 10. Colorado; 11. Southern Methodist; 12. Texas Tech; 13. Kansas State; 14. Baylor; 15. Texas A&M; 16. Xavier; 17. Illinois; 18. Ohio State; 19. Purdue; 20. Kent State; 21. Wichita State; 22. Indiana; 23. Lamar; 24. Notre Dame; 25. Princeton; 26. Western Illinois; 27. Jackson State.

Central Regional Individuals: 1. Mike Mezei (Texas-San Antonio); 2. Tom Johnson (Northwestern); 3. Jeremy Lyons (Iowa State); 4. Zach Mowbray (Houston); 5. Zach Atkinson (North Texas); 6. Brandon Brown (Eastern Kentucky).