Two Colorado-based teams, a couple of Colorado residents who play for out-of-state schools, and an individual from Colorado State University learned Thursday where they’ll compete in the Women’s NCAA Division I Regionals, set for May 8-10.
The fields and seedings were unveiled on the Golf Channel Thursday morning.
The University of Colorado, fresh off its best finish ever at a conference championship (second at the Pac-12 meet), will be headed to Columbus, Ohio, where they’ll be seeded fifth in an 18-team field at Ohio State’s Scarlett Course. CU is currently ranked No. 20 in the nation by Golfstat and No. 21 by Golfweek. Florida is the top seed in Columbus, and Ohio State will be competing there on its home course.
The University of Denver, which just won its 14th consecutive conference title — this one at the Summit League tournament, will stay relatively close to home as the Pioneers are seeded 13th at the University of New Mexico Championship Course in the Albuquerque Regional. DU is ranked No. 49 nationally by Golfstat and No. 54 by Golfweek. Stanford is the top seed in Albuquerque.
Meanwhile, three-time CWGA Player of the Year Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster and her Wake Forest team will be seeded sixth in the Athens, Ga., Regional, where Alabama is the top seed and host Georgia is No. 2. Kupcho, ranked as the No. 5 women’s college player in the country by Golfweek and No. 6 by Golfstat, tied for sixth at the NCAA Finals last year. This season, Kupcho owns two individual wins and recently placed second in the ACC Championship.
Hannah Wood of Highlands Ranch, like Kupcho a Coloradan who qualified for last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, also will be playing in the NCAA Regionals. Wood, the 2014 CWGA Stroke Play champion, will join her sixth-seeded University of Oklahoma team at the Rawls Course in the Lubbock, Texas Regional where Pac-12 champion UCLA is the top seed. Also in the Lubbock field is 14th-seeded Oregon State, coached by Dawn Shockley, who grew up in Colorado and played her college golf at DU.
In addition, CSU sophomore Katrina Prendergast earned a berth into regionals as she was the sixth and final individual to make the field at the Lubbock site. It will be the second straight NCAA Regional appearance for the 2017 All-Mountain West Conference second-team pick.
With 18 teams and six individuals competing at each of four regional sites, the top six team finishers and the top three individuals not on those teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship Finals, set for May 19-24 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugan Grove, Ill.
