North Carolina
NCAA Regional Day 1
Carolina Begins NCAA Regional Play Monday
May 6, 2018 | Women's Golf
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The sixth-seeded University of North Carolina women's golf team will play in the first round of the NCAA San Francisco Regional at TPC Harding Park Monday to open up the 2018 NCAA Women's Golf Championship.
The 54-hole tournament features 18 teams, led by top-seeded UCLA, and six individuals, and the course at TPC Harding Park features a par-72, 6,369-yard set up.
Eighteen teams and six individuals will participate in each of the four regional tournaments to determine the NCAAÂ championship field. The top six teams and three individuals who are not members of the qualifying schools from each of the four regions qualify for the 2018 NCAA Championship in Stillwater, Okla. at the Karsten Creek Golf Club (May 18-23).
The Tar Heels are coming off of an eighth-place finish at the ACC Championship (April 21-23).
Fans can follow @uncwomensgolf on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the tournament. UNC Women's Golf is also on Facebook. A recap and results will be posted on GoHeels.com following the conclusion of each day of competition.
TAR HEEL STARTING FIVE
Carolina's starting five for the NCAA Regional will be sophomore Mariana Ocano (St. Petersburg, Fla.), junior Kelly Whaley (Farmington, Conn.), sophomore Brynn Walker (St. David's, Pa.), senior Bryana Nguyen (Columbia, Md.) and freshman Ava Bergner (Ketsch, Germany).Â
Nguyen is playing in her fourth NCAA Championship, Whaley is playing in her third, Walker is playing in her second and Ocano and Bergner are both making their first appearances in the NCAA regional competition
SAN FRANCISCO REGIONAL PARTICIPANTS
1. UCLA
2. Stanford
3. South Carolina
4. Kent State
5. Oklahoma State
6. North Carolina
7. Colorado
8. Louisville
9. N.C. State
10. Ole Miss
11. California
12. San Diego State
13. Pepperdine
14. Oregon
15. Long Beach State
16. Grand Canyon
17. Princeton
18. Fairleigh Dickinson
Individuals:
1. Alivia Brown (Washington State)
2. Samantha Hutchinson (UC Davis)
3. Ingrid Gutierrez (New Mexico)
4. Abegail Arevalo (San Jose State)
5. Darian Zachek (New Mexico)
6. Christine Danielsson (UC Davis)Â
COMPETITION SCHEDULE
The NCAA San Francisco Regional is a 54-hole tournament with rounds scheduled for Monday, May 7, Tuesday, May 8 and Wednesday, May 9. Carolina will tee off round one from hole 10 at 11:05 a.m. ET No. 4 Kent State and No. 5 Oklahoma State.
LIVE SCORING
Live results from the NCAA San Francisco Regional will be available at Golfstat.com.
HEAD COACH JAN MANN - COMMENTS
On what has made her teams successful in NCAA Regional play
"Each year we try to have a mentality of giving 100 percent each day and let winning take care of itself. One of the things that we always try to get the team to realize is that it is a very stressful time, but if we can have a good time, enjoy the experience and not let ourselves get wrapped up in what it all means, then we can be very successful."
On the San Francisco Regional field
"I know we are seeded No. 6, but I feel very comfortable with who we are playing against. It really doesn't matter where you go because at this point in time, it is anyone's ball game. The top six advance, and anybody can be hot during that three-day period. If we play like we played at ACCs, we'll be coming back home. But I don't think that is going to happen. I think we will play very well. I anticipate a great tournament for us."
On the team's mood since the disappointing finish at the ACC Championship
"They were obviously disappointed with Greensboro, but they don't let it get to them. They just learn from it and move on, and that's all you can really do. We had one great day. We had two not-so-great days. At regionals, we can't let that happen and I don't think that we will."
TAR HEELS IN NCAA REGIONALS
• Head coach Jan Mann has led the Tar Heels to an NCAA regional appearance in each of her nine seasons at Carolina, and this marks the 25th time in program history that the Tar Heels have reached an NCAA regional.Â
• Last season, the Tar Heels pulled off an 11-shot comeback in the final round of the 2017 NCAA Athens regional to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second-consecutive season and for the fourth time under the direction of Mann.Â
• Carolina has qualified for the NCAA Championship 16 times in program history. Last season, the Tar Heels finished in ninth at the 2017 NCAA Championship in Sugar Grove, Ill., just one stroke out of eighth place and advancing to match play.
• The Tar Heels last participated in a regional hosted by Stanford in 2016, where they finished fourth and advanced to the 2016 NCAA Championship, ultimately finishing 14th.
