Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Raiders a #9 seed at College Grove Regional
5/4/2017 12:30:00 PM | Men's Golf
8th all-time appearance
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - For the seventh time in the last 10 years, Middle Tennessee's men's golf program is headed to the postseason. The Blue Raiders earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals as announced on The Golf Channel Thursday morning.
Middle Tennessee will be one of 13 teams participating in the regional at The Grove in College Grove, TN hosted by the Blue Raiders May 15-17. The low five teams from six regionals will advance to the NCAA National Championships at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL, May 26 - 31. Northern Illinois will serve as host. Each regional will be a 54-hole event.
Middle Tennessee's spot among the nation's top 81 teams came during the second announced regional by the Men's Golf Selection Committee's selection show on the Golf Channel's Golf Central Pregame. The Blue Raiders will be the No. 9 seed in a field that includes No. 2 ranked Vanderbilt, No. 11 ranked Texas Tech, No. 14 ranked Clemson, No. 23 ranked Georgia, and 25th ranked Missouri. MT was an eight seed in 2011 and 2012, and a No. 10 seed in 2014.
It is the eighth NCAA berth in program history and the sixth as an at-large. The Blue Raiders also made NCAA Regional appearances in 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. In 2008, Middle Tennessee advanced all the way to the NCAA Championships where it finished 15th nationally.
Head Coach Brennan Webb believed Middle Tennessee's body of work was easily strong enough to gain an at-large berth after the team finished fourth in Conference USA. Middle Tennessee is ranked No. 55 nationally and enjoyed a very strong season.
"I am thrilled about officially being extended an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships," added Webb. "This was a day that we, as a team, have had circled on our calendar for close to 18 months. Being the host school added a lot of pressure to our guys but they stepped up and left no doubt with solid play all season. They have proven themselves and to the rest of the country that they are very deserving of this bid. I am very excited at the opportunity left in front of us this year and I know the team is as well."
The Blue Raiders' lineup will be led by senior Joey Savoie. Savoie, who leads the team with a 71.7 stroke average, will be playing in his first Division I NCAA Tournament. Freshman Ilari Saulo, sophomore Marcus Byrd, freshman Chip Thomas and junior Hoyeong Kim will complete the lineup.
Follow all the scoring at golfstat.com or ncaa.com.
College Grove Regional
1. Vanderbilt
2. Texas Tech
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Missouri
6. Lipscomb
7. Kennesaw State
8. UCF
9. Middle Tennessee
10. TCU
11. Troy
12. ETSU
13. Harvard
Individuals
1. Andrew Novak (Wofford)
2. Patrick Cover (UNC Wilmington)
3. Tim Conover (East Carolina)
4. Thomas Eldridge (UNC Wilmington)
5. Lorenzo Scalise (Tennessee)
6. Hunter Richardson (UT Martin)
7. Seth Gandy (Charlotte)
8. Jack Lang (Davidson)
9. Anton Frondelius (Wagner)
10. Daniel Racioppa (Alcorn State)
Middle Tennessee will be one of 13 teams participating in the regional at The Grove in College Grove, TN hosted by the Blue Raiders May 15-17. The low five teams from six regionals will advance to the NCAA National Championships at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL, May 26 - 31. Northern Illinois will serve as host. Each regional will be a 54-hole event.
Middle Tennessee's spot among the nation's top 81 teams came during the second announced regional by the Men's Golf Selection Committee's selection show on the Golf Channel's Golf Central Pregame. The Blue Raiders will be the No. 9 seed in a field that includes No. 2 ranked Vanderbilt, No. 11 ranked Texas Tech, No. 14 ranked Clemson, No. 23 ranked Georgia, and 25th ranked Missouri. MT was an eight seed in 2011 and 2012, and a No. 10 seed in 2014.
It is the eighth NCAA berth in program history and the sixth as an at-large. The Blue Raiders also made NCAA Regional appearances in 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. In 2008, Middle Tennessee advanced all the way to the NCAA Championships where it finished 15th nationally.
Head Coach Brennan Webb believed Middle Tennessee's body of work was easily strong enough to gain an at-large berth after the team finished fourth in Conference USA. Middle Tennessee is ranked No. 55 nationally and enjoyed a very strong season.
"I am thrilled about officially being extended an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships," added Webb. "This was a day that we, as a team, have had circled on our calendar for close to 18 months. Being the host school added a lot of pressure to our guys but they stepped up and left no doubt with solid play all season. They have proven themselves and to the rest of the country that they are very deserving of this bid. I am very excited at the opportunity left in front of us this year and I know the team is as well."
The Blue Raiders' lineup will be led by senior Joey Savoie. Savoie, who leads the team with a 71.7 stroke average, will be playing in his first Division I NCAA Tournament. Freshman Ilari Saulo, sophomore Marcus Byrd, freshman Chip Thomas and junior Hoyeong Kim will complete the lineup.
Follow all the scoring at golfstat.com or ncaa.com.
College Grove Regional
1. Vanderbilt
2. Texas Tech
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Missouri
6. Lipscomb
7. Kennesaw State
8. UCF
9. Middle Tennessee
10. TCU
11. Troy
12. ETSU
13. Harvard
Individuals
1. Andrew Novak (Wofford)
2. Patrick Cover (UNC Wilmington)
3. Tim Conover (East Carolina)
4. Thomas Eldridge (UNC Wilmington)
5. Lorenzo Scalise (Tennessee)
6. Hunter Richardson (UT Martin)
7. Seth Gandy (Charlotte)
8. Jack Lang (Davidson)
9. Anton Frondelius (Wagner)
10. Daniel Racioppa (Alcorn State)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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