NCAA Selection Monday For Kat Golfers
5/3/2015 6:50:00 PM | Men's Golf
The Sam Houston men's golf team learns where they will be making their second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance Monday morning.
The team and individual line-ups for each of the six NCAA regional sites will be announced Monday at 9 a.m. on the “Selection Monday” special televised by The Golf Channel.
The sites for the regional tournaments May 14-16 are Bremerton, Washington (University of Washington host), New Haven, Connecticut (Yale host), San Diego, California (San Diego host), Lubbock (Texas Tech host), Noblesville, Indiana (Ball State host) and Chapel Hill, North Carolina (North Carolina host).
The top five teams and top two individuals not on a qualifying team earn berths in the NCAA Men's Golf Championships May 29 through June 3 at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
Last year, Sam Houston made its first ever NCAA Division I regional golf appearance at Auburn, Alabama. The Bearkats placed 11th in the team standings but were just five strokes behind the fifth qualifying team.
“We're really looking forward to getting back to the regionals,” head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “We've really built on last year's performance at the regional. We've drawn on that experience all year. We're a deeper team this year and coming with five shots from nationals has expanded our horizons.”
While the Bearkats were likely candidates for an at-large berth in the championships as one of the top 40 ranked teams in the country, Sam Houston's second consecutive Southland Conference team championship nailed down an automatic berth for the Kats.
J. T. Taylor won the Southland individual title and three other players, Zach Cabra (fifth), Jake McCrory and Andrew Ertel (both 12th) finished among the league's top 15.
“It's mind-boggling how far our golf program has come in the past few years,” Taylor said. “Everyone on this team is dedicated and super hard-working. It pays off in times like this week. To win the conference and being heading to the NCAA regional is awesome.”
