Category: College

With Alabama likely on the outside of NCAA men’s golf tourney, school announces it can’t host regional

The director of golf at Ol’ Colony referred all questions to the university.

Tuscaloosa’s Ol’ Colony Golf Complex will not host an NCAA men’s golf regional as scheduled, The Tuscaloosa News has learned.

John Gray, director of golf at Ol’ Colony, confirmed that the scheduled March 15-18 event will not take place at the course. He referred all questions to the University of Alabama, which is listed as the host institution for the event on the NCAA website.

The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to a release from the NCAA, the “course was on schedule to host, but a late freeze, followed by cooler temperatures and excessive rainfall prevented necessary corrections to the course and stalled other maintenance projects.”

The field for the NCAA regionals will be announced May 4. Alabama, which finished 14th at the SEC Championships that concluded April 22, is not expected to be in the field.

Tuscaloosa was scheduled to host one of six NCAA regionals, joining College Station, Texas; Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; New Haven, Connecticut; Stockton, California; and Columbus, Ohio. Texas A&M, Florida Atlantic, Yale, Pacific and Ohio State are the other host institutions.

Jimmie Austin Golf Club at the University of Oklahoma with take Ol’ Colony’s place. Austin has played host previously to five combined men’s and women’s NCAA Division I regional championships, hosting in 1998 (men), 2012 (men), 2013 (women), 2018 (men) and 2019 (women). The course also hosted the 1997 Oklahoma State Amateur, the 1998 and 2010 Big 12 Conference Women’s Championships, and U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships in 2009 and 2012.

“While this was a difficult situation for the committee to address in late April, the Jimmie Austin Golf Club is ready to host immediately and has a championship pedigree that will provide a great championship experience for our teams,” Connie Hurlbut, chair of the Division I Men’s Golf Committee and senior associate commissioner and senior woman administrator at the West Coast Conference, said in a release. “The committee also felt that Oklahoma, as the top ranked team in the country, earned the right to serve as the replacement host.”

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Nichols: Michigan won its first women’s Big Ten title but, on paper, Michigan State really won. Here’s why things need to change.

“There’s just something about that asterisk that it always gets skewed.”

The University of Michigan captured its first Big Ten title over the weekend with sophomore Monet Chun setting a new conference scoring record (8-under 205) en route to her first collegiate victory. It was a long-awaited sweep for a Wolverine team that entered the championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the No. 1 seed for the first time in program history.

The team that hoists the trophy at the Big Ten Championship, however, isn’t always the same team that wins on paper in the eyes of the NCAA. The conference has long used a 6-count-4 format, which isn’t accepted by the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Committee.

The official results that are used for rankings purposes actually use the traditional 5-count-4 format. Before the tournament begins, coaches must designate a non-counter for the tournament. On paper, Michigan State won the 2022 Big Ten title by five strokes over Ohio State and Michigan finished third. That’s how it was tabulated in the rankings, too, which play a part in who gets selected to the NCAA postseason.

Augusta head coach Caroline Haase-Hegg, who both played and coached at Purdue, would like to see the cloud of secrecy and doubt that surrounds the Big Ten’s format disappear.

“There’s just something about that asterisk that it always gets skewed,” she said, “that you have to see who actually quote unquote won.”

For the past three years the championship was held, the team that took home the trophy at the Big Ten, wasn’t the same team that won in the 5-count-4 format. In 2021, Michigan State won the 6-count-4 format, but Nebraska won the 5-count-4. In 2019, Ohio State won the trophy, but Illinois and Purdue shared the official win. Or unofficial depending on how one looks at it.

How can there be two champions and two scoring systems at the same event?

Even more perplexing is the fact that the men’s Pac 12 Conference Championship has used a 6-count-5 format for decades and the NCAA men’s committee accepts those results, along with several regular-season events that do the same.

Michigan coach Jan Dowling was blown away to learn just recently that a 6-count-5 format is acceptable in men’s college golf. Michigan State coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll felt the same, believing it to be a Golfstat software issue until she inquired over the weekend.

The lightbulb went off when Spartan assistant coach Caroline Powers-Ellis learned from her husband, who coaches on the men’s side at MSU, that 6-count-5 is an NCAA recognized format in men’s golf.

Why can’t it the same for the women?

“I would really like the committee to reconsider,” said Dowling, “and would be curious to know why they haven’t in the past.”

Julie Manning, chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Committee, said that in her five years on the committee, she has yet to see a request from coaches that the rules be changed. The 6-count-4 format has been in place for decades, but Manning said she isn’t aware of why it wouldn’t have been supported in the past.

Big Ten players obviously aren’t told when they’re the designated non-counter. Coaches keep that secret. The whole idea to play six came about to give an additional player an opportunity to compete for a conference title. Now that substitutes are allowed in the postseason, Slobodnik-Stoll believes the 6-count-4 format to be even more helpful in prepping her team.

Part of Dowling’s recruiting message at Michigan was to tell potential players that they could come be part of the first Wolverine team that lifts the Big Ten trophy. For a player like fifth-year senior Ashley Kim, that was on her goal list all five years.

And they did it. The Wolverines have the trophy.

It’s time the NCAA sees it that way, too.

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Full field, seeds for 2022 NCAA Division I women’s golf regionals

Check out the full fields of teams and individuals competing for a shot at the national championship.

The 2022 NCAA Division I women’s golf regional fields have been announced.

The six regional championship sites each feature 12 teams and six individuals (72 teams and 36 individuals, total). Regionals will be played May 9-11 at the following sites:

UNM Championship Course in Albuquerque, New Mexico (hosted by New Mexico); U-M Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Michigan (hosted by Michigan); Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma (hosted by Oklahoma State); Seminole Legacy Golf Club in Tallahassee, Florida (hosted by Florida State); Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California (hosted by Stanford); Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee (hosted by Vanderbilt).

The top four teams (24 total) and the top two individuals (12 total) not on a qualifying team from each regional will advance to the national championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, May 20-25.

Here are the regional fields (Golfweek/Sagarin rankings in parentheses):

More: NCAA women’s conference championship results

Mark Emmert announced plans to step down as NCAA president and college sports fans were thrilled

Mark Emmert is set to vacate his position as NCAA president by June 2023 at the latest.

After 12 long and tumultuous years, Mark Emmert has announced his plans to step down as president of the NCAA, effective June 2023.

The college world was rocked by Tuesday’s news that Emmert plans to step down within the next 14 months. Though June 2023 is the latest Emmert is set to step down by, it very well could be sooner if the NCAA is able to hire a replacement before then.

“Throughout my tenure I’ve emphasized the need to focus on the experience and priorities of student-athletes,” Emmert said in the NCAA’s press release.  “I am extremely proud of the work of the Association over the last 12 years and especially pleased with the hard work and dedication of the national office staff here in Indianapolis.”

Emmert became the president of the NCAA in 2010 and has been a reviled figure in the college sports world ever since. His reign as NCAA president has been mired with controversy after controversy, with Emmert’s biggest sticking point being his insistence that college athletes should not be paid.

Of course, last summer the United States Supreme Court voted 9-0 in favor of collegiate athletes getting academic benefits and reimbursements. Plus, the NCAA eventually relented and allowed athletes to use — and get paid for — their name, image, and likeness in sponsorship deals.

Oh, and if you recall, Emmert also incorrectly said “Kansas City Jayhawks” in the 2022 NCAA college basketball tournament trophy presentation, to everyone’s chagrin.

College sports fans were overjoyed at the news that Emmert’s time as NCAA president is coming to an end.

College Performers of the Week powered by Rapsodo: Michigan women’s golf

The Wolverines were led by medalist Monet Chun, who earned her first college win.

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Led by sophomore Monet Chun, who claimed medalist honors at 8 under following rounds of 70-66-69 for her first college win, the Michigan women claimed their first-ever Big Ten Championship by four shots over in-state rivals Michigan State to earn team of the week honors.

“There aren’t enough words to really capture all my thoughts,” said Chun. “However, for my first collegiate win to come at the Big Ten Championships, and the fact that I was able to help this program win the first ever team title is just so special. I feel so lucky.”

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual
College golf blog: The Road to Grayhawk

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Michigan State women’s team snags early lead at Big Ten Championship

The Michigan State women’s golf team ended the first day of this year’s Big Ten Championship the same way it finished last year’s event.

The Michigan State women’s golf team ended the first day of this year’s Big Ten Championship the same way it finished last year’s event: at the top of the leaderboard.

The Spartans combined to shoot a 2-under-par 282 Friday during the first round of this year’s tournament at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh. Michigan State holds a three-shot lead on its nearest competitors: in-state rival Michigan along with Purdue, which both ended at 1-over-par 285.

Leila Raines led the way for the No. 34 Spartans in the opening round. She carded a 3-under-par 68, giving her a share of the first-round lead alongside Nebraska’s Michaela Vavrova.

A sophomore, Raines had four birdies on her front nine.

Three other MSU golfers also finished the day among the top 20 on the individual leaderboard: sophomore Valentina Rossi and freshman Katie Lu are at even-par after shooting 71s, while senior Valery Plata is tied for 16th after a 1-over-par 72. Other Spartans competing include senior Haylin Harris and freshman Brooke Biermann, who both shot 73 (2-over par).

The Spartans are looking to win back-to-back Big Ten titles for the third time under coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. MSU also won consecutive conference crowns in 2011-12 and 2017-18. Michigan State’s nine Big Ten Championship victories are second-most in league history, trailing only Ohio State, which has 15.

Eight of the Spartans’ nine titles have come under Slobodnik-Stoll. Her championship tally also ranks second in the conference record books; Ohio State’s Therese Hession, who retired in January, ended her career with 11.

Michigan State will tee off in a group with Michigan and Purdue in Saturday’s second round.

Contact Ryan Black at rblack@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanABlack.

Oklahoma maintains its grip on No. 1 in the Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll

The Oklahoma Sooners are fresh off a program-tying fifth win of the season.

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The Oklahoma men’s golf rallied on the final day to win the 2022 Thunderbird Collegiate to tie the program mark with its fifth win of the season.

The Sooners this week received 19 of the 22 first-place votes to maintain its perch atop the April 22 Bushnell/Golfweek Div. I Coaches Poll.

The rest of the top five is the same as last time out, with Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Arizona State and Pepperdine falling in behind Oklahoma. OSU and Vandy each received one first-place vote this time, as did No. 6 Texas, up from No. 12 after the Longhorns won the 2022 Western Intercollegiate.

LSU (No. 23) and South Carolina (No. 24) are newcomers to the April 22 poll.

Rank University (First Place Votes) Points Previous
1 Oklahoma (19) 547 1
2 Oklahoma State (1) 520 2
3 Vanderbilt (1) 488 3
4 Arizona State 471 4
5 Pepperdine 461 5
6 Texas (1) 436 12
7 Texas Tech 413 8
8 North Carolina 407 7
9 Washington 394 6
T-10 Georgia 327 9
T-10 Arkansas 327 10
12 Georgia Tech 315 11
13 Notre Dame 272 13
14 Auburn 251 15
15 Florida 232 16
16 Wake Forest 223 19
17 Texas A&M 178 22
18 Stanford 165 14
19 Tennessee 162 18
20 Illinois 150 23
T-21 Mississippi 82 24
T-21 Florida State 82 20
23 LSU 66 NR
24 South Carolina 65 NR
25 Clemson 63 21
Others receiving votes: Purdue (15); Kansas (14); New Mexico (7); Charlotte (5); East Tennessee State (4); Ohio State (2); South Florida (2); Arizona (1); Michigan State (1); NC State (1); North Florida (1).

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Flying high: Keiser wins seventh tournament of season, remains No. 1 in Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll

The Keiser Seahawks men’s golf team has won seven tournaments this season.

The Keiser Seahawks men’s golf team won its seventh tournament of the season at the 2022 Roadrunner Classic at The Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face, Georgia.

That was more than enough to earn all 15 first-place votes and the No. 1 spot in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll.

South Carolina Beaufort is at No. 2 with College of Coastal Georgia No. 3. Ottawa (AZ) and Oklahoma City round out the top five.

Rank University (First Place Votes) Points Previous
1 Keiser (15) 375 2
2 South Carolina Beaufort 351 3
3 College of Coastal Georgia 344 4
4 Ottawa (AZ) 334 5
5 Oklahoma City 308 7
6 British Columbia 293 6
7 Dalton State 271 11
8 Point 251 8
9 Lewis Clark State 231 12
10 Texas Wesleyan 224 19
11 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical (AZ) 222 9
12 Wayland Baptist 205 10
13 Bellevue 199 13
14 Victoria 177 17
15 Southwestern Christian 156 15
16 Reinhardt 137 16
17 Taylor 136 20
18 Missouri Valley College 102 22
T-19 Lindsey Wilson 98 21
T-19 Southeastern (FL) 98 NR
21 Tennessee Wesleyan 87 18
22 SCAD Savannah 74 14
23 William Woods 54 24
24 The Master’s University 52 23
25 Truett-McConnell 30 25
Others receiving votes: Northwestern Ohio (10); Midway (8); Roosevelt (6); Lawrence Tech (5); William Carey (4); St. Ambrose (4); Mount Mercy (3); Midland University (2); Grand View (1); Milligan (1); Northwestern College (IA) (1).

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Still rolling: Barry wins again, stays in top spot in Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll

The Buccaneers have won six of their last seven regular-season tournaments.

There’s no change at the top in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll for men’s golf.

Barry is still the top team after winning the 2022 Sunshine State Conference Men’s Golf Championship. The Buccaneers, who received 15 first-place votes, has won six of their last seven regular-season tournaments.

Arkansas Tech, after getting two first-place votes, is No. 2. Lee, with one first-place vote, is No. 3. Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial check in at Nos. 4 and 5. Queens University of Charlotte is the lone newcomer at No. 25.

Rank University (First Place Votes) Points Previous
1 Barry (15) 446 1
2 Arkansas Tech (2) 422 4
3 Lee (1) 415 5
4 Carson-Newman 395 2
5 Lincoln Memorial 371 3
6 Oklahoma Christian 313 8
7 South Carolina-Aiken 312 6
8 North Georgia 308 7
9 West Florida 258 12
10 Limestone 256 14
11 Nova Southeastern 252 11
12 Rogers State 240 13
13 Georgia Southwestern State 235 9
14 Florida Southern 202 15
15 Lander 198 10
16 Central Missouri 148 16
17 Midwestern State 138 17
18 Columbus State 130 18
19 Barton College 97 21
T-20 Henderson State 95 19
T-20 Saint Leo 95 20
22 Lynn 65 24
23 Belmont Abbey 60 23
24 West Georgia 45 22
25 Queens University of Charlotte 41 NR
Others receiving votes: Grand Valley State (27); Western Washington (25); Colorado State Pueblo (21); Cameron (20); Flagler (18); Delta State (13); Northeastern State (12); Findlay (11); Simon Fraser (10); Texas A&M Commerce (10); Erskine (7); Sonoma State (7); Florida Tech (6); Central Oklahoma (6); Chico State (5); Christian Brothers (4); Rollins (4); Harding (4); Southern Arkansas (4); St. Marys (TX) (4); Newberry College (3); Clayton State (3); King (3); Cal State Monterey Bay (2); Cal State-San Marcos (2); Livingstone College (2); Virginia State (1); McKendree (1); Davis & Elkins (1).

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Methodist is the No. 1 team in the Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches Poll

The Methodist men’s golf team closed its regular season with three straight tournaments wins.

The Methodist men’s golf team closed its regular season with three straight tournaments wins, including the 2022 USA South Men’s Golf Championship.

That’s more than enough to keep the Monarchs, who received 16 of 17 first-place votes, in the top spot in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches Poll.

Emory is No. 2 after receiving one first-place vote. Huntingdon, Wittenberg and Babson take up Nos. 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Kenyon College is new to the poll this time around and checks in at No. 20.

Rank University (First Place Votes) Points Previous
1 Methodist (16) 424 1
2 Emory (1) 408 2
3 Huntingdon 385 3
T-4 Wittenberg 351 5
T-4 Babson 351 4
6 Carnegie Mellon 350 6
7 Christopher Newport 314 8
8 Illinois Wesleyan 314 7
9 Sewanee: The University of the South 296 10
10 Mary Hardin-Baylor 245 9
11 Piedmont 239 11
12 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 232 12
13 Greensboro 206 15
14 Washington & Lee 195 16
15 Oglethorpe 178 13
16 Willamette 170 17
17 Texas-Dallas 140 14
18 Hampden-Sydney 124 21
19 Gustavus Adolphus 120 20
20 Kenyon College 107 NR
21 Denison 91 19
T-22 Rochester 74 24
T-22 Berry 74 23
24 Aurora 36 22
25 York College (PA) 26 18
Others receiving votes: Concordia (TX) (16); Dallas (14); Texas Lutheran (11); Guilford (9); Gettysburg (8); Lynchburg (6); New York University (6); Drew (2); Rhodes College (1); Saint John’s (MN) (1); Southwestern (TX) (1).

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