Lady Bulldog Golfers Head To NCAA East Regional
"The players go into this Regional Championship with one goal on theirmind," said MSU head coach Christi Sanders. "Advance to the NCAA finals.With final exams behind them, the team can concentrate solely on their golfgame. It is the time of year to peak and we are up for the challenge."
The Lady Bulldogs join 20 other teams in the tournament including sixSoutheastern Conference teams. The field includes nine teams in the top-30in the country. The teams include: top-seed Arizona State, Auburn,Tennessee, host Wake Forest, California, Vanderbilt, Virginia, SouthCarolina, LSU, Florida State, Alabama, N.C. State, Augusta State, Maryland,Furman, North Carolina, Campbell, College of Charleston, East Carolina andYale.
Last season at the East Regional in Gainesville, Fla., the Lady Bulldogsfinished 16th. It was the second best finish in a Regional next to a 12thplace finish in 2003.
Amanda Mathis, Ashleigh Korzack, Stephanie Godare, Julia Huh and LeighPhillips will compete for State. A native of Picayune, Miss., Mathis hasbeen MSU's top-finisher in every tournament this season. She leads the teamwith a 74.11 stroke average and recently earned all-SEC second team honorsfor the second consecutive season. Seniors Godare and Korzack are second andthird on the team in stroke average this season. Sophomore Julia Huh willplay in her ninth event this season. Her top finish this year came at thePinehurst Challenge where she finished in a tie for sixth. Freshman LeighPhillips rounds out the lineup for State. Phillip¹s best finish came at theSEC Championship held in Nashville, Tenn.
State will tee off at 11:30 p.m. CT Thursday at the 6,386-yard, par-72Champions Course. Second and third round play will also be in the shotgunstart format, with the top eight teams advancing to play in the NCAAChampionship on May 23-26 in Columbus, Ohio.