May 2, 2018
INDIANAPOLIS – The San Diego State men's golf team will travel to the Sooner State for the 2018 Norman Regional, May 14-16, as announced Wednesday by the NCAA selection committee. The 52nd-ranked Aztecs earned a No. 9 seed for their school-record 20th consecutive regional appearance and 23rd overall since the regional format was launched in 1989.
Under the direction of 15th-year head coach Ryan Donovan, SDSU claimed one of 50 at-large bids after posting 11 top-10 team finishes in 12 events during the 2018 campaign, including four top-five placements. A total of 81 NCAA Division I schools received invitations to compete in one of the six regional tournaments that will also be played concurrently in Stockton, Calif. (Pacific), Bryan, Texas (Texas A&M), Kissimmee, Fla. (UCF), Raleigh, N.C. (NC State) and Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State).
The top five squads and lowest individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, slated for May 25-30, at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.
The top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners will play host to the Norman Regional, which features 13 schools and five individuals in addition to the Aztecs. The teams and individuals will play 18 holes (54 total) on each of the three days at the par-72, 7,452-yard Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, following a practice round on Sunday, May 13. A live hole-by-hole scoring link will be available for all three rounds courtesy of Golfstat on GoAztecs.com.
SDSU was one of four Mountain West members to earn a regional berth in 2018, with Nevada joining the Aztecs as the No. 10 seed in the Norman Regional. On the other hand, UNLV earned the No. 4 seed at the Columbus Regional, while Colorado State received the No. 8 seed at the Kissimmee Regional.
The Aztecs last traveled to the Sooner State for the 2011 NCAA Championships, where they missed the cut after finishing 16th through two rounds at the same Karsten Creek Golf Club, which will serve as host site for this year's national tournament.
Individually, SDSU is led by seniors PJ Samiere (71.31) and Blake Abercrombie (72.40), who boast the team's top two scoring averages and recently collected all-Mountain West honors, giving the Scarlet and Black multiple all-conference picks for the eighth consecutive season. In addition, the Aztecs has received a boost from redshirt sophomore Trevor Norby (73.13), who tied for 13th with Abercrombie at the MW Championship.
SDSU has qualified for nationals 23 times in school history, including eight occasions (1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016) since the regional format was initiated. The Aztecs claimed their first-ever NCAA regional crown in 2011, after finishing in the top spot by seven strokes as the No. 2 seed in Tucson, Ariz., followed by runner-up performances at Stanford, Calif., and New Haven, Conn., respectively, in 2012 and 2015.
At the 2016 Albuquerque Regional, SDSU gained the fifth and final spot to the NCAA championship series after defeating Texas A&M on the first hole of a dramatic sudden-death playoff, before finishing eighth at the Washington Regional last year in suburban Seattle.
2018 NCAA Norman Regional
Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club (Par 72, 7,452 yards)
Norman, Okla.
May 14-16
Host: University of Oklahoma
Teams (Seeds in descending order; automatic berths in parentheses)
1. Oklahoma (Big 12)
2. Auburn (SEC)
3. Arkansas
4. Florida State
5. North Florida (Atlantic Sun)
6. Pepperdine (WCC)
7. Brigham Young
8. Virginia
9. San Diego State
10. Nevada
11. Sam Houston State (Southland)
12. University of Missouri-Kansas City (WAC)
13. Navy (Patriot League)
14. Prairie View A&M (SWAC)
Individuals
1. Ian Snyman, North Texas
2. McClure Meissner, SMU
3. Peyton Wilhoit, Southern Illinois
4. Chris Korte, Denver
5. Tanner Napier, Arkansas State