Four C-USA Women's Golf Teams Advance To NCAAs

Carolin Landmann

CHICAGO - For the first time in Conference USA history, four women’s golf teams have advanced to the NCAA Regionals. By virtue of its Conference USA title April 21 in Hattiesburg, Miss., TCU earned the league’s automatic bid and is the ninth seed in the Central Regional May 9-11 at Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. Meanwhile, three C-USA teams - Tulane (12th seed), Memphis (14th seed) and South Florida (18th seed) - head to University Club in Baton Rouge, La. for the East Regional May 9-11.

By qualifying four teams to the NCAAs, Conference USA betters the previous high of three, set last year. South Florida finished 23rd in the nation last season, and all four teams this season hope to advance to the NCAA Championship May 21-24 at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash.

None of the four Conference USA teams are strangers to postseason play. This marks the fifth appearance in the last six seasons for Memphis and the fourth straight and seventh in the last 10 years for South Florida. Tulane has been to the NCAA Tournament two of the last three years, while TCU is in the NCAAs for the seventh straight season

TCU is the first school in Conference USA history to win men’s and women’s golf championships in the same season, and the Horned Frog women are ranked No. 25 in the most recent GolfStat poll. C-USA Golfer of the Year BROOKE TULL leads TCU, while all-freshman selection D’RAE WARD and second-team pick SHANNON BARR have also been key contributors.

No. 31 Tulane finished second in Conference USA, as a pair of newcomers, C-USA Freshman of the Year ALEXIS WOOSTER and all-freshman selection LINDSAY HULWICK have been the Green Wave’s key performers. Wooster finished fourth at the league championships with a four-over-par 220.

South Florida and Memphis finished third and fourth, respectively at last week’s Conference USA championship. The Tigers are 37th and the Bulls 50th in the Golfstat poll. Depite a two-under-par 70 in the final round of the league championship, USF’s KELLY MARTIN finished second, one stroke behind Tull. Memphis’ MEAGHAN FRANCELLA was 11th at the NCAA West Region last year and advanced to the NCAA Championship, but did not finish due to injury.