May 6, 2008

Athens, Ga. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's golf team is set to compete in a field of 21 teams at the 2008 NCAA East Regional at the University of Georgia Golf Course this weekend in Athens, Ga. First-round action at all three NCAA Regional sites begins on Thursday.

The top eight teams and the top three individuals from each regional who are not a member of a top-eight team will advance to the NCAA Championships on May 20-23 at the University of New Mexico Championship Course in Albuquerque, N.M.

"We are really excited to be here," Klein said after her team arrived in Athens on Tuesday. "We have been playing well this spring. Our players have seen the course having played here already and it sets up really well for our team. Everyone is excited and now we have the opportunity to get to nationals - we just have to go out and play well."

This will be the Knights second trip to the Bulldogs' home course this spring after the squad placed 17th at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in late March. UCF is making its first appearance in regional play under third-year head coach Emilee Klein and the program's first since the 2002 season when the squad competed at the South Region in Baton Rouge, La.

UCF will feature a line-up of two juniors, a sophomore and two freshmen. Jessy Tang (Miami, Fla.), who is coming off her best collegiate finish at the Conference USA Championship, will play from the No. 1 spot. Junior May Tomimbang leads the team with a 75.81 stroke average and will play from the No. 2 spot.

Sophomore Leigh Crosby (Athens, Ga.) returns to her home town to play from the No. 3 position for the Knights. Junior Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md.) posted a team-best four rounds of par or better during the season and will play from the No. 4 position.

Freshman Katie Detlefesen (Eagan, Minn.) rounds out the line-up for the Knights, playing out of the No. 5 spot. The top four players in the Knights' line-up were named All-Conference USA by the league's head coaches. Tomimbang was a first-team member, Tang and Connelly were both second team members, while Crosby was a third-team selection.

The field of 21 teams will look similar to the Knights, who have competed against many of these teams throughout competition during the season. No. 1 Duke is the top seed at the regional. Florida, host Georgia, Auburn and Wake Forest round out the top five seeds in Athens. The Knights enter the event ranked 42nd in the Golfstat/Sagarin Performance Index and will be the 15th-seed at the tournament.

UCF will tee off with Conference USA foe East Carolina and Georgia State in the opening round. The trio of teams will begin play at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Live statistics will be available at the www.golfstat.com.

For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

-UCF-