@MUWomensGolf Selected for NCAA Regional
4/25/2018 4:55:00 PM | Women's Golf
Tigers to make 12th all-time NCAA Regional appearance, first since 2016
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women's Golf earned an NCAA Regional bid as the Tigers were selected to the Tallahassee Regional, which will be played at the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course from May 7-9. The field was revealed on the Golf Channel on Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers are slotted to be an No. 15 seed in what is their 12th all-time regional appearance and their first such appearance since 2016.
"We could not be more elated about earning this regional bid," head coach Stephanie Priesmeyer said. "We felt we had positioned ourselves for this opportunity given our strong finish to the season at North Texas and at the SEC Championship."
The Tigers are coming off a great run at the SEC Championship, where they made the match play quarterfinals for the first time in program history. With five teams ranked in the Top-25, and several others ranked inside the Top-50, the Tigers' performance at the stacked event was enough to make the regional cut. Mizzou edged out Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Tennessee, all Top-50 programs, for the final spot in SEC match play, and even though the Tigers fell in the quarterfinals, the squad had done enough to continue their season.
"We feel that we are a team that is trending upward, and we are grateful and ready to embrace this opportunity," Priesmeyer said. "We look forward to competing and getting a great effort from our entire team."
Mizzou enters postseason after a solid campaign, as there were several highlights for Priesmeyer's squad. The Tigers claimed their fourth consecutive Johnie Imes Invitational championship in the fall, two third place finishes at both the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown and the MountainView Collegiate, and the aforementioned historic quarterfinals appearance at the SEC Championship.
There were also several good individual moments throughout the season that helped push the Tigers into NCAA Regional play. Sophomore Jessica Yuen (Bolingbrook, Ill.) boasts a 72.7 strokes-per-round average, which trails only Michelle Butler's 72.5 2015-16 season average for the lowest in program history. Yuen had many great performances this season, but the highlights include her performance at the SEC Championship, where she finished 12th overall before match play, and then pushed the SEC individual champion, Ainhoa Ollara of No. 1 seed South Carolina, to the 20th hole.
Junior Emma Allen (Southampton, England) also had a strong season, including back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Johnie Imes Invitational and Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. Allen is one of four members of the current roster who was on the team for the 2016 Regional at Shoal Creek. Allen was excellent for the Black & Gold during her lone regional, placing 29th while leading the Tigers at the event as a freshman.
For all the latest on Mizzou Women's Golf, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MUWomensGolf.
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