May 4, 2010

NCAA Central Regional Notes in PDF Format

COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Baylor women’s golf team, making its 10th postseason appearance in 11 seasons, seeks the program’s second NCAA Championship berth at the NCAA Central Regional, hosted by Indiana University.

The 54-hole regional tournament will be conducted Thurs., May 6-Sat., May 8 at the par-72, 6,416-yard Otter Creek Golf Course. The low eight teams and the low two individuals will advance to the 29th annual NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, which will be held May 18-21 in Wilmington, N.C.

No. 17 seed Baylor, one of 24 teams tabbed for the NCAA Central Regional, is making its second appearance in Indiana for postseason play. In 2001, the Lady Bears finished 12th in the NCAA Central Regional held at Kampen Golf Course in West Lafayette, Ind. Baylor is paired with nine teams ranked in the top 30 of the latest Golfstat standings – No. 2 Arizona State, No. 5 USC, No. 8 Purdue, No. 10 Michigan State, No. 16 Denver, No. 20 New Mexico, No. 23 Florida State, No. 26 Oklahoma State and No. 28 Louisville.

All 10 of Baylor’s NCAA Regional appearances have come under the guidance of 16th-year head coach Sylvia Ferdon. Baylor posted its best regional finish in 2004 when the Lady Bears placed fifth at the NCAA Central Regional in Normal, Ill., advancing to the NCAA Championships. Prior to its 10th regional selection, Baylor finished ninth at the 2010 Big 12 Championship in Norman, Okla., while senior Hannah Burke earned Big 12 All-Tournament Team honors with a second-place showing.

“I’m very happy that we were selected for the NCAA Central Regional,” Ferdon said. “We’ve been recruiting student-athletes that can hit for distance for this moment.”

“With a 6,400-yard course at Otter Creek, this will probably be the longest course we’ve played this season,” Ferdon said. “I’m confident in our team’s talent and the highly competitive field will be good for us.

The Lady Bears, which rank 25th nationally in scoring average, will be led by Burke, junior Lene Hafsten-Morch and underclassmen Jaclyn Jansen (sophomore), Chelsey Cothran (sophomore) and Melanie White (freshman). Burke holds a 74.33 stroke average in six NCAA Regional rounds. At the 2009 NCAA West Regional last season, she tied for 18th with a 1-over 217, including a first-round 70 – the lowest 18-hole NCAA Regional score in program history.

Burke, who owns the school record with 13 top-five and 21 top-10 career finishes, leads the Lady Bears with a 73.45 stroke average through 31 rounds. The Hertfordshire, England, native ranks seventh nationally 88 birdies, 36th in scoring average and 37th in score vs. par.

“Hannah (Burke) is playing really well,” Ferdon said. “She’s going to play in any conditions. Her play has peaked this spring and my hope is that she will have a great tournament.”

Live scoring for each round of the 2010 NCAA Central Regional will be available at www.BaylorBears.com.

NCAA CENTRAL REGIONAL INFORMATION
Dates: Thurs., May 6-Sat., May 8, 2010
Location: Otter Creek Golf Course (Columbus, Ind.)
Par/Yardage: 72/6,416
Host: Indiana University
Teams (Seeds in Brackets/Automatic qualifiers in parentheses): [1] Arizona State, [2] USC, [3] Purdue (Big Ten), [4] Michigan State, [5] Georgia, [6] Denver (Sun Belt), [7] New Mexico (Mountain West), [8] Florida State, [9] Oklahoma State, [10] Louisville (Big East), [11] Oregon, [12] Kent State (Mid-American), [13] Northwestern, [14] Notre Dame, [15] Ole Miss, [16] San Diego State, [17] BAYLOR, [18] Tulsa, [19] N.C. State, [20] Indiana, [21] Illinois State (Missouri Valley), [22] Murray State (Ohio Valley), [23] Detroit (Horizon League), [24] Jackson State (SWAC)
Individuals: [1] Ashley Bauer, Michigan; [2] Lansing Olivia, Duke; [3] Julia Potter, Missouri