University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Opens NCAA Regionals Tomorrow Morning In Athens
May 7, 2017 | Women's Golf
Carolina Women's Golf
Upcoming Tournament: NCAA Athens Regional
When: Monday-Wednesday, May 8-10, 2017
Site: Athens, Ga.
Course: University of Georgia Golf Course (Par 72 – 6,344 yards)
Tar Heel Rankings: Golfweek #29, Golfstat #35
After a fourth place finish at the ACC Championship, the University of North Carolina women's golf team continues their postseason in Athens, Georgia on Monday. Carolina has been selected for NCAA regional competition in each of head coach Jan Mann's eight years in charge.
In last year's Stanford Regional, Carolina came in fourth and advanced to nationals for the third time under Mann and the 15th time in program history. At nationals, the Tar heels finished 14th.
The Tar Heels will be using the same starting five that has been used for the past five events. The team will led by senior Leslie Cloots, who is leading the team in stroke average for the third straight year and is coming off a top-five finish at the ACC Championship, and junior Bryana Nguyen who is second in stroke average and has recorded two straight top-ten finishes.
Carolina has tournament experience as Cloots, Nguyen, junior Lexi Harkins, and sophomore Kelly Whaley all have competed at every Regional they have been in school for and at last year's NCAA Championships.
The Carolina program has some history at the University of Georgia Golf Course. In 2012, the team won the NCAA preview tournament and associate head coach Leah Buchmann won a collegiate tournament while playing for Mann at Virginia.
Against the Athens Regional field, Carolina has familiarity with ten of the 18 teams competing. Overall Carolina has amassed a 14-17 record against those schools over the course of this season.
The top six teams of eighteen and top three individuals from a non-qualifying team will advance to the NCAA Championship in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Carolina's journey begins at 7:33 a.m. EDT tomorrow on hole No. 1 and the team's tee times will go through 8:09 a.m. EDT. Carolina is paired with Central Florida and Tennessee for the first day of play. Tuesday and Wednesday's tee times and position will be decided based on the team scores following each day of play.
Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.
2017 Athens Regional Field (Ordered by seed)
Alabama, Georgia, Northwestern, Arizona, Baylor, Wake Forest, UCF, Tennessee, North Carolina, Clemson, Augusta, Auburn, Kansas State, Michigan State, Troy, Princeton, North Florida, Quinnipiac
Tar Heel Lineup
1. Leslie Cloots, senior, Antwerp, Belgium
2. Bryana Nguyen, junior, Columbia, Md.
3. Brynn Walker, freshman, St. David's, Pa.
4. Lexi Harkins, junior, Crystal Lake, Ill.
5. Kelly Whaley, sophomore, Farmington, Conn.
![Images from the first round of the 2026 Gators Invitational on Friday, March 6, 2026 at Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. [Photo by Matt Pendleton Photography for North Carolina Tar Heels Athletics]](https://images.sidearmdev.com/resize?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2Fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2Func.sidearmsports.com%2Fimages%2F2026%2F3%2F7%2F260306-NCAAWGOLF-UNC-GatorsInvitational-0828-MattPendleton_copy.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
