Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Earns Ninth Trip to NCAA Regionals
4/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 25, 2011
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Riding the momentum of playing its best team round of the season on Sunday at the Big Ten Championships, Northwestern has earned its ninth NCAA bid in program history and the Wildcats will begin Central Regional play on Thursday, May 5 at the University of Notre Dame. The Wildcats were one of 72 teams selected to the 2011 NCAA Women's Golf Championships.
"I was extremely proud of the way we finished Big Ten's on Sunday and I like the momentum and confidence we're carrying into the NCAA Championships," said Emily Fletcher, the Wildcats' third-year head coach. "Last year, our goal was to return to NCAA play. This year, we'd like to take it one step further and earn a trip to nationals."
Northwestern is one of 24 teams competing in the Central Regional, which is being played at Notre Dame's Warren Golf Course. The format is a 54-hole tournament with teams playing 18 holes each day and the top eight teams qualifying for the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas on May 17-20.
The Wildcats earned the region's No. 13 seed - the same seed they were awarded a year ago - while the top seed went to UCLA. Duke, LSU, Arkansas and Wake Forest make up the remainder of the top-five seeds. Fellow Big Ten schools Ohio State (No. 10 seed), Minnesota (No. 14), Wisconsin (No. 18), Michigan (No. 20) and Illinois (No. 21) also landed in the Central Regional. Michigan State, the 2011 Big Ten champion, and Purdue, the defending NCAA national champion, are both playing in the East Regional in Florida.
Northwestern, making its ninth NCAA appearance, has finished in the top-15 of every NCAA regional event they have played. In 2000, the Wildcats finished second at regionals and earned a trip to the NCAA National Championships.
Sophomore Lauren Weaver (Scottsdale, Ariz./Cactus Shadows) is pacing the Wildcats' attack, having logged a 74.24 scoring average and seven top-10 finishes this season.
2011 NCAA Central Regional Field
Warren Golf Course • Notre Dame, Ind.
1. UCLA
2. Duke
3. LSU
4. Arkansas
5. Wake Forest
6. Texas
7. Tulane
8. Stanford
9. Notre Dame
10. Ohio State
11. Kent State
12. Chattanooga
13. Northwestern
14. Minnesota
15. UNLV
16. Oklahoma State
17. North Texas State
18. Wisconsin
19. East Carolina
20. Michigan
21. Illinois
22. Morehead State
23. Illinois State
24. Butler
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