May 5, 2016
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s golf team has been selected to the NCAA Albuquerque Regional, earning its eighth consecutive NCAA appearance, the NCAA golf committee announced Thursday morning. The NCAA Albuquerque Regional, hosted by the University of New Mexico, will be held at the Championship Course at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 16-18.
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“We’re happy about the selection,” said UI head coach Tyler Stith. “I’ve been to this golf course three times and I think it suits us really well. I know the guys are going to really enjoy it and we’re all really looking forward to the opportunity.
“I think the last three tournaments we’ve played have been our best of the spring. We’ve gotten better each and every week. The guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now and I know they’re excited to get back out and compete again.”
Teams were selected to one of six regional sites, with 13 or 14 teams competing at each location. The Hawkeyes are the No. 10 seed in the Albuquerque Regional.
The top five teams, along with the top individual not on a qualifying team from each region, will advance to the NCAA Finals to be held at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon, on May 27-June 1.
“This marks our eighth straight regional appearance and what an honor that is,” said senior Nate Yankovich. “It’s really exciting and we’re all looking forward to getting down to New Mexico and putting together three solid rounds of golf.”
The Hawkeyes have qualified for NCAA Regional competition in eight consecutive seasons. Iowa will be seeking its fourth NCAA Championship Finals berth in the past eight years and the 16th appearance in program history. The Hawkeyes join Illinois as the only Big Ten schools to appear in NCAA Regional competition in each of the last eight years.
Last year, Iowa placed sixth at the NCAA Yale Regional, finishing one stroke behind eventual National Champion LSU. Carson Schaake led the Hawkeyes with a two-under-par 208 over 54 holes, tying for 11th place. Additional Hawkeye participants included Brian Bullington (213), Raymond Knoll (213), Ian Vandersee (217) and Sam Meuret (223).
Iowa last qualified for the NCAA Finals in 2012 after placing fifth in the NCAA Athens Regional. The Hawkeyes would go on to place 22nd in the NCAA Championships.
In order of their respective seeding, the Albuquerque Regional consists of USC, Arizona State, South Florida, San Diego State, Texas A&M, North Carolina State, New Mexico, Texas Tech, TCU, Iowa, Liberty, U.S. Military Academy, Cleveland State, Wagner College.
Iowa is one of seven Big Ten teams to advance to regional competition, joining Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, and Penn State in postseason play. The remaining five regional sites will be hosted by Alabama, Arizona, Marquette, Oklahoma State, and Vanderbilt.
In their most recent competition, the Hawkeyes placed second at the Big Ten Conference Championships. Schaake was Iowa’s top finisher at the event and was one of three Hawkeyes to finish in the top 10. Illinois captured the team title after carding a 24-under-par 264 in the final round, leaping past Iowa in the process. The Illini finished at 838 (-26; 279, 295, 264) for the weekend.
