UAPB golf team earns first NCAA Tournament bid in school history

The men’s golf team won four of the last six tournaments, including their first conference championship in the program’s history. It gave them an automatic bid to the NCAA Golf Championship tournament.

By Arkansawyer Staff Writer

After finishing strong in the season’s final stretch by winning four of the last six tournaments, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s golf team made its first NCAA Regional appearance at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club on May 15-17. The 14-team, 54-hole tournament was one of six NCAA Regionals.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champion UAPB was the 14th seed in the Normal Regional that included topseeded Texas Tech, Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma, three programs from the SEC (Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU) and two from the ACC (Duke and Wake Forest). Other conference champions included Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt), Princeton (Ivy) and North Carolina-Wilmington (CAA). Kansas and Colorado earned at-large berths from Big 12 and Pac-12 con- ferences, respectively. UAPB was the only HBCU team participating in this year’s tournament.

UAPB qualified for the tournament automatically by winning its first conference championship in the program’s history in April. The Golden Lions set the SWAC conference record by defeating the field by 29 strokes at the Refuge Golf Course in Jackson, Miss.

The Golden Lions finished the tournament last with a three-round total of 62-over 926, 90 strokes behind the regional champion Alabama.

Team UAPB struggled from the beginning, shooting a 29-over 317 in the first round, trailing the leader Texas Tech (-10) by 39 strokes. They performed better in the remaining two rounds, but by the time they finished the third round, they were trailing the winner, Alabama, by 90 strokes.

Individually, Junior Jaime Diez Moliner, who had the team’s best tournament round on Wednesday at a 1-over 73, finished as the top Lion, tying for 61st overall at a 9-over 225. He made five birdies and 15 bogeys with no double bogeys or worse in 54 combined holes.

Sophomore Ismael Garcia tied for 66th overall at a 12-over 228, and Senior Li Su tied for 69th at a 22-over 238.

Five teams advanced to the NCAA finals in Scottsdale, Ariz., where 30 teams from the six Regionals competed for the title.

No. 3 seed Alabama led the field at a 28-under par 836 (281280-275), followed by host Oklahoma at a 25-under 839, Colorado at a 23-under 841, top-seed Texas Tech at a 22-under 842 and Duke at 21-under 843.

In an interview with Fox 16 News in Little Rock during the NCAA Selection Show on May 3, SWAC coach of the year Roger Totten praised the team and players. “I’m so proud of the kids. I’m so proud of the university,” said Totten. “We earned it because we did it the right way. We worked in practice and preparation, going to class, and everything we got we earned it. There were no givens.”

Senior Li Su said the team’s chemistry is a key factor to the team’s success. “Most of us stayed together as the same unit. We see each other every day. We go to lunch and dinner together and go to classes together. That is an unparalleled technique. The combination of talent and bond has helped with what we’re able to accomplish.”

“Having firsthand access and playing alongside top collegiate golfers helped us strive to be our best,” added Su.

The win gave Alcorn State (4-3, 3-1 SWAC) a three-way tie lead with Prairie View A&M and Southern in the Southwestern Conference West Division.

The deciding moment for UAPB came two minutes before halftime. Trailing 14-7, the Golden Lions turned the ball over, giving the Braves

On offense, Hampton said, “We need to protect the football from the quarterback position and create some holes for our running backs. The receivers will have opportunities to win one-on-one battles because they play a lot of man coverage.”

Hampton said he was optimistic about the game aganst Jackson State. “The team needs to work harder and be more aggressive on both sides.

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