Women's golf headed to Norman Regional
4/24/2019 7:50:00 PM | Women's Golf
HUNTSVILLE - The NCAA Division I Women's Golf championship field was announced on Wednesday afternoon with the Sam Houston State Bearkats being sent to Norman, Oklahoma for their first-ever appearance in a regional tournament.
The 54-hole tournament will be conducted May 6-8 at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club on the University of Oklahoma campus. It is one of four regional destinations as a precursor to the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Arkansas at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville.
“It's exciting. Just to win the conference, which was our first one in 12 years, and to finally get that NCAA Regionals bid, which is really what we have been shooting for, it's really special,” head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “It's also very special to go to an NCAA Regional we are familiar with. The men played at the Oklahoma Regional last year. The men played there last year, and (assistant coach) Tommy (Chain) and I have been on that golf course four times. I'm most excited about us being familiar with the golf course.”
The Bearkats are the No. 17 seed in the regional, an 18-team pool that also includes six individual medalists. The University of Texas comes in as the top seed in the regional, along with No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Arizona State.
The rest of the field (in seeded order) includes Oklahoma, TCU, Pepperdine, Purdue, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Texas A&M, UTSA, University of North Carolina Wilmington, and No. 18 Fairleigh Dickinson University.
“It is so amazing,” senior Jenna Phillips said. “I have waited for four years, and in the past, we have been so close, but to finally get it and find out we are going, is just indescribable. It is awesome.”
The week will include 18 holes each day with the six lowest-scoring teams and the three lowest-scoring individuals not on those teams advancing to the NCAA Championships.
The Bearkats earned their way into the NCAA Regionals with a win at the Southland Conference Tournament at High Meadow Ranch Golf Club in Magnolia April 15-17. Kenlie Barrett also became the first freshman in Sam Houston State history to win the individual SLC golf title.
