Yellowjacket Women’s Golf Earn First NCAA Berth

BILLINGS, Mont. – For the first time in school history, the Montana State Billings women’s golf team has earned a berth to the NCAA Championships.  The Yellowjackets will compete May 4-6 at the Central Super Regional hosted by Augustana College (South Dakota).

“I am very proud of our team and this accomplishment,” head coach Kevin Woodin said.  “The thing I like best about our team is our balance as all of our golfers have had scores count throughout the year in our tournaments.  I am very proud for the girls for all of the hard work they have put in over the year.”

This year there are four super regionals and the top three teams in each super regional will advance to the National Championship, May 13-16 at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.  The Yellowjackets are one of four teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to make the nine-team field.  Fort Hays State (seeded fourth) followed by Mesa State (fifth), Augustana (sixth), MSUB (eighth) and Western New Mexico (ninth) all earned team bids.  The field also includes four individuals from Central Region teams that did not make the field.

The Yellowjackets finished second in the RMAC this season behind league champion Fort Hays State.  Both Fort Hays and MSUB were tied in the league standings heading into the RMAC Championship last week.  Fort Hays edged in the tournament as the Yellowjackets finished third and Fort Hays was second behind Upper Iowa who is not a member of the RMAC.

The rest of the Central Region field includes top-seeded Upper Iowa, second seed Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State Mankato (third) and Winona State (seventh).  The field will play at the Westward Ho Country Club in Sioux Falls, S.D.  The format will be a 54-hole tournament with the top three teams and top three individuals (not from a tournament participating team) advancing.

No MSUB men’s or women’s golf team ever has earned an NCAA bid as a team.  The men’s golf team had an individual qualify for a regional twice in Nicholas Larson.  He competed in the NCAA West Regional in 2005 and the South Central Regional in 2006.  Larson finished 30th in 2005 and tied for 25th in 2006.