April 28, 2008

Greenville, S.C. -- The Furman women's golf team will participate in the NCAA East Regional at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga., May 8-10, it was announced on Monday by the NCAA Division I Golf Committee.

The Lady Paladins are one of 21 teams that will battle for a top eight finish and a berth in the NCAA Championships, set for May 20-23, at the University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They will be joined at the East Regional by eight of the top 25 teams in the country, including top-ranked Duke, fifth-ranked Florida, host and eighth-ranked Georgia and 10th-ranked Auburn.

Furman, ranked 35th in both the GolfWeek/Sagarin Performance Index and Golfstat Head-to-Head rankings, earned an automatic bid to the regional by claiming its 12th Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship at the Links at Stono Ferry in Hollywood, S.C., April 20-22. The Paladins, making their 16th straight NCAA Regional appearance, continue their streak of having never missed the Division I women's golf postseason since the regional format was introduced in 1993. If Furman can advance to the NCAA Championships, it will be the program's 16th finals appearance since 1983.

The Paladins are no strangers to the par-72, 6,335-yard layout at the UGA Golf Course. Furman is a regular competitor in Georgia's Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at the course and posted a 14th place finish there in March against a field that included 14 of the top 28 teams in the country.

Southern Conference Coach-of-the-Year Jen Hanna's five-player lineup for the East Regional will include junior All-SoCon pick Blair Lamb, freshman and SoCon champion Stefanie Kenoyer, freshman All-SoCon selection Jaclyn Hilea, sophomore Corrine Carr and sophomore Ashley Baker. The tournament will mark the third straight NCAA Regional for Lamb and second straight for Baker and Carr.

The Paladins finished in a tie for 11th at last season's NCAA East Regional in Baton Rouge, La. Lamb scored an 18th place finish in the tournament at one-under-par.

This year's 54-hole East Regional will begin with a practice on Wednesday before tournament play opens with 18 holes on Thursday.

2008 NCAA East Regional Field:

#1 Duke

#5 Florida

#8 Georgia

#10 Auburn

#15 Wake Forest

#16 Tennessee

#20 Virginia

#22 New Mexico

#26 Vanderbilt

#28 Louisville

#31 South Carolina

#35 Furman

#37 East Carolina

#40 Georgia State

UCF

Missouri

Indiana

UNC Wilmington

Jacksonville State

Charleston Southern

Jackson State

Dori Carter, Ole Miss

Emma Degroot, Chattanooga

Paula Hurtado, FIU