MSU Women's Golf NCAA Regional Bound in Raleigh, N.C.
Starkville, Miss. – After a historic season laden with success, the No. 12-ranked Mississippi State women's golf team learned Monday it will be traveling to Raleigh, N.C., for the NCAA Regional Tournament.
During a night where the team, students and fans all gathered at a packed house inside Buffalo Wild Wings, the Bulldogs learned they will be playing in the East Regional slot at Raleigh, N.C., on May 7-9. Play will be at the Lonnie Pool Golf Course, home of the N.C. State Wolfpack.
Raleigh was one of four locations that the Bulldogs could have been selected to play at. South Bend, Ind, St. George, Utah, and San Antonio are the other three host locations.
MSU will be one of 18 teams playing in this region, where the top six finishers will move on to the NCAA Championships.
"I am excited to go to North Carolina, as it's really one of the sites we wanted to go to the most," MSU coach Ginger Brown-Lemm said. "The weather is more consistent there, better than some of the other locations. More importantly though, the grass is similar to what we have here in Mississippi, where as some of the other sites have grass that is completely different than what we are used to. We hope to use this at our advantage."
Senior Ally McDonald will be making her third regional apperance coming up in May.
"In years past I have really enjoyed playing in North Carolina,'' said McDonald. "I wanted to stay in that general area for weather purposes, hopefully the weather will be good. We have really been preparing for this, and everyone is just ready to get there and play."
Last season MSU landed in the Central Region, where Stillwater, Okla., was host city. The regional was host to a 24-team field that featured the nation's top teams. The Bulldogs fired three-day total 893, with a third-place finish. The Bulldogs are entering this year's regional in the same scenario as last season, coming off a 12th place finish in the SEC Championship.
"Sometimes when you have a bad round, you have to remember how far you have come. These ladies have matured so much on the golf course and have come together as a team every single year," Brown-Lemm said. " I don't look for anything but great scores coming in North Carolina."
Mississippi State has had continued success each year it has made it to post-season play, finishing third in the regionals the past two seasons.
The Bulldogs will tee off on May 6-9.
Raleigh Regional Site
Mississippi State
LSU
South Carolina
Alabama
Florida
Northwestern
Central Florida
Furman
Iowa State
Ohio State
North Carolina State
Georgia Regents
Coastal Carolina
Campbell
College of Charleston
Seton Hall
Wichita State
Fairleigh Dickinson