May 6, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Four Big Ten women's golf teams were selected on April 28 to compete in NCAA Regional competition.  No. 2 seed and Big Ten Champion Purdue will compete in the Central Regional.  No. 7 seed Michigan State and No. 12 Ohio State will take part in the West Regional, while No. 17 seed Indiana will compete in the East Regional.

The three regionals, which consist of 21 teams each, are scheduled for May 8-10, and the top eight teams and two individuals in each region will advance to the NCAA Championships, May 20-23, at the University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque, N.M., hosted by the University of New Mexico.

The Central Regional will be played at the University of Texas Golf Course in Austin, Texas, May 8-10.  Purdue received the Big Ten's automatic bid to NCAA regional competition after winning its second conference title in three years.  The Boilermakers, led by Big Ten Coach of the Year Devon Brouse, Big Ten individual Champion and Player of the Year Maria Hernandez and conference Freshman of the Year Maude Aimee LeBlanc, are making their ninth-straight appearance in NCAA Regional competition.                 

Hernandez made history at this year's Big Ten Championships breaking five event records.  Most notably was her lowest 72-hole winning score of 281, which shattered the old mark by three strokes.  Hernandez also recorded the lowest single round score in Championships history, firing off a 66 in the third round.  Her efforts led Purdue to post the second-lowest team total in event history, 1,169, just missing the top spot by two strokes (1,167, Purdue 2000).             

The West Regional will also be played May 8-10, at the Lincoln Hills Golf Club in Lincoln, Calif., hosted by Sacramento State University.   

Stacey Slobodinik-Stoll will lead her Michigan State squad to its seventh NCAA postseason appearance in its last nine years.  The Spartans, who placed second at this year's championshlps, are paced by senior Sara Brown and sophomore Laura Kueny.  Brown currently ranks 22nd in the country with a 72.23 Sagarin rating, while Kueny sits at No. 47 with a rating of 73.32.

The Buckeyes are lead by All-Big Ten second-team honorees Carling Coffing, Emma Jandel, and Gemma Webster.  Carling boasts OSU's highest national ranking at 87, while Jandel had the squads' best finish at the Championships,  where she placed 7th.          
Indiana eneters NCAA Regional play ranked 44th in the nation, after a fourth-place Big Ten Championships finish, where three out of five Hoosiers placed in the top 20. 

The East Regional will also be played May 8-10, at the UGA Golf Course in Athens, Ga., hosted by the University of Georgia.
 
Currently, all four active Big Ten squads are ranked in the nation's top 50 by Golfweek/Sagarin.  No. 6 Purdue is followed by No. 17 Michigan State, No. 41 Ohio State, No. 44 Indiana.