Alberto set to compete at NCAA Championship

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – For the first time in program history, a Bearkat will tee it up at the NCAA golf championships when Hanna Alberto hits the links at Grayhawk Golf Club on Friday.

Alberto, who long ago established herself as the greatest women's golfer in school history, will get the opportunity to close out her storied career on the game's biggest stage. She earned her spot in the national championship by being the third ranked player on a non-advancing team from last week's canceled Baton Rouge Regional.

It will be the perfect end to a decorated career at Sam Houston for Alberto. She has a school-record 11 individual tournament titles as well as holding just about every other individual record.

The championship format consists of all 24 teams and 12 individuals completing 54 holes of stroke play, and then the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team competing for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match play competition and the 72-hole stroke play individual champion. The top eight teams then compete in match play for the team national championship.

Alberto was actually set to finish her college career last season. But when the year was abruptly ended she was given the opportunity to come back for a fifth season and took full advantage of it.

She won four of her six tournaments this season including earning a share of the Southland Conference title with teammate Jennifer Herbst. The two tournaments she didn't win were both third place finishes, once finishing behind her teammate and sister Leah and the other behind Herbst.

The one tournament Alberto didn't play this season was the Bearkats' home event at Raven Nest. She was spending her time playing in her second Augusta National Women's Amateur where she made the cut and finished 16^th. She fired a 74 at Augusta that included birdies at the famous Amen Corner, Nos. 12 and 13.

This season 12 of her 18 rounds were played at par or better, including four rounds in the 60s.

Her best tournament of the season was her first. She shot three rounds in the 60s, setting a new school 54-hole record of 201. She broke her own record by six strokes, set on that same course two years earlier. In fact, of the top 17 tournament scores in programs history, 11 were shot by Alberto.

Her career scoring average of 73.02 is the lowest in school history by almost three full strokes.

Alberto set to compete at NCAA Championship

Players Mentioned

Hanna Alberto

Jennifer Herbst

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