May 7, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS -
Led by Missouri Valley Conference Golfer of the Year Matt Miller, the 2007 MVC champion Illinois State men's golf team has been assigned to the NCAA Central Regional on May 17-19, as announced by the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee Monday. The Redbirds will compete for a bid to the 110th Annual Division I Men's Golf National Championship in familiar territory, at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., and hosted by Northern Illinois.
Miller paced the Redbirds throughout the 2006-07 season, winning three tournaments and posting seven other top-10 finishes. An MVC All-Conference selection for the second-straight year, Miller was joined on the all-conference team by teammates sophomore Ben Murphy and freshman Drew Miller. Head coach Ray Kralis also garnered individual attention, as he was named the conference's Coach of the Year.
Kralis is excited about the opportunity the Redbirds have in competing in Illinois, believing that the ability for friends and family to attend will give the team a boost of energy.
"Even though we had no preference on where we went going into the selections, I'm very pleased to be staying in the Central Regional," said Kralis. "We are familiar with some of the teams in the field, as well as being only a few hours away from home. It is also a fantastic golf course that will be an absolute treat to play.
"A few of our guys have played the course, so we will have an element of familiarity with the terrain. With the course being so close to home, it will also take out a lot of the nightmares that can happen when you travel. The proximity also makes it very easy for family and friends to be out there and support them. When you get that type of environment, you can feed off your gallery. So it will be a real treat to be a part of the NCAA championship, and to be close to home will allow not only friends and family to come out and support the guys, but friends of the program as well."
Teams competing at the Central Regional are seeded in the following order: Alabama, Oklahoma State, Lamar, Texas A&M, Louisville, Tennessee, Tulsa, Texas, TCU, Michigan State, Minnesota, Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Purdue, Wichita State, Southern Methodist, Baylor, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Illinois State, Western Illinois, Siena and Texas Southern. Additionally, six individuals will be competing in the three-day event.
81 teams will be participating in regional play, with the field split evenly among three regional sites. The East Regional will be hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology at The Golf Club of Georgia (Alpharetta, Ga.), while Arizona State and the ASU Karsten Golf Course will serve as host of the West Regional in Tempe, Ariz.
"I like the prospects of our team advancing," said Kralis. "Our focus will be on what we have been doing the whole year - what we need to do as a team and getting a total team effort. If we get all our guys taking care of their own business, we will see what happens. It was a great thrill to win conference and we are excited about the opportunity to advance. It would be a great chapter to add to what's been an already great season."
First-round action begins on Thursday, May 17 and continues through Saturday, May 19, with 18-holes of play each day. After the conclusion of Saturday's round, the top-10 teams from each regional, as well as the top-two individuals from non-qualifying schools, will advance to the NCAA Finals, May 30-June 2, at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club (Gold Course) in Williamsburg, Va.
