Long Island Women’s Golf Selected to Participate in 2005 NCAA Regionals

4/25/05 -- Long Island University, winners of the Northeast Conference Tournament, were selected today to participate in the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships Regionals.

The Blackbirds, an automatic qualifier, will compete in the Central Region bracket May 5-7 at the Jerry S. Rawls Course, in Lubbock, Texas. Wake Forest, Michigan State and Texas are just a few of the 21 schools that make up the bracket.

The Blackbirds secured their first NEC title on April 19, out-distancing three-time defending champion St. Francis (PA) by ten strokes. Senior Shauna Wilde (Mississauga, Ontario) won her first individual title, shooting 76 to close with a tournament-record 149.

One day after shooting a career-best 73 that tied the tournament record, Wilde clinched her third All-NEC honor with a three-shot win over defending champion Alysse Sweeney of Wagner. Wilde also won the Hofstra Spring Invitational in April.

LIU advances to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, duplicating the feat accomplished by the men’s squad a season ago.

In just their fourth year of existence, the league title comes after the Blackbirds finished second each of the previous three seasons. The championship was the first for coach Michael Michaelides. The former LIU golfer took over the squad after the passing of Lonnie Barton, LIU’s first coach, in August.

The regional tournaments are considered the preliminary rounds of the NCAA Championships. A total of 324 participants have been selected for the regional competition. Of these players, 126 will advance to the championships finals May 17-20. In addition to the eight teams, two individuals will advance from each region.