Tulsa Golfers Open NCAA Play Monday at Indiana Regional

GOLF NOTES

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –– An opportunity to reach the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship Finals is on the line when regional competition begins Monday for 72 teams at six different sites. Tulsa will tee-off at the Indiana Regional, played May 8-10, at The Club of Chatham Hills in Westfield, Indiana.

Tulsa enters the regional as the N. 6 seed in the 12-team field that also includes No. 1 seed Mississippi State, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Virginia, Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon State, Xavier, Lipscomb and Morehead State.

Thirty teams will advance to the championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 19-24 — five from each of the six regional sites.

The Hurricane has a young squad with two freshmen, two sophomores and one senior. Three-time all-conference selection Lilly Thomas has the only national tournament experience for Tulsa, playing as an individual at the 2022 NCAA Stillwater Regional.

Tulsa, ranked 36^th in the latest Golfstat ratings, has finished among the top-3 six times in 11 tournament events this season, while capturing tournament victories at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup and Dale McNamara Invitational. Since regional play began in 1994-95, Tulsa is making its 18^th regional competition and its second in the last three seasons. The 2021 regional event in Baton Rouge was canceled due to poor weather conditions.

"It was one of our goals at the start of the year to make regionals, obviously going to nationals is another one, and reaching that goal begins Monday," said Tulsa Head Coach Annie Young.

All five Tulsa golfers have a sub-74 stroke average through the entire season, led by freshman Grace Kilcrease's 72.1 and followed by Thomas' 72.5. Second-year players Lovisa Gunnar and Sydney Seigel have averages of 73.0 and 73.4, respectively. Jenni Roller comes in at 73.9 for her rookie season.

Kilcrease has placed among the top-top-10 in six tournament this year for the Hurricane, while turning in 17 of her 32 rounds par or less, tying for the most by any TU golfer in school history. Thomas, who earned American Athletic Conference honors again this season, has seven tournament finishes among the top-12, including her first collegiate win in early April at The Bruzzy.

Gunnar has turned in top-8 finishes in Tulsa's last two tournaments, placing fourth at The Bruzzy and eighth at The American Championship. Seigel is coming off an 11^th place performance at the AAC Championship, her fifth top-20 outing of the season. Roller has two top-15 finishes in six spring events.

Since Tulsa's first season of women's golf in 1974-75, the Hurricane is making its 35^th NCAA Tournament appearance. Tulsa has advanced to the finals 27 times and has won four national titles while placing second five times. Tulsa's national championships have come in 1980 with an AIAW crown, two in 1982 – the final AIAW championship and the first NCAA championship – and the final Hurricane national title came in 1988.

Tulsa Golfers Open NCAA Play Monday at Indiana Regional

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Players Mentioned

Lovisa Gunnar

Grace Kilcrease

Jenni Roller

Sydney Seigel

Lilly Thomas