Sooners Set to Compete in NCAA West Regional

May 4 , 2011

No. 25 Women's Golf at NCAA West Regional
Dates	Thursday, May 5 - Saturday, May 7
Location	Auburn, Wash. \| Washington National Golf Course
Tee Times	Round One: Thursday at 10:00 a.m. (CT) Round Two: Friday at 2:30 p.m. (CT) Round Three: Sunday (TBD)
Live Stats	Golfstat.com
Additional Info	Video Preview \| Media Notes

NORMAN, Okla. - The 25th-ranked Oklahoma women's golf team is set to compete in the NCAA West Regional May 5-7 (Thursday-Saturday) at the Washington National Golf Course in Auburn, Wash.

The Sooners will be competing in regional play for the ninth time in program history and for the first time since 2008.

"We are truly honored to have this opportunity," said OU head coach Veronique Drouin from Washington. "We've been working toward this point all season and are ready to compete. I know the team has what it takes to succeed here."

Drouin's squad is coming off of a fifth-place finish at the Big 12 Championship this past weekend, its eighth top-five finish of the season. The Sooners' three-round 888 (+24) represented their best ever score in the 15-year history of the conference's championship, topping their previous event low of 912 in 2002 when they finished in second place.

OU will be led at the No. 1 position by Chirapat "Ja" Jao-Javanil. The freshman's 10th-place finish at the Big 12 Championship was her ninth top-15 finish in her 10 events this year, and her fourth top-10 showing in the last five tournaments.

Senior Ellen Mueller will start at the No. 2 position after tying for 14th place at the Big 12 Championship, her 26th career top-20 finish and her eighth of the year. Mueller competed as an individual in last year's West Regional in Stanford, Calif., and qualified for a spot in the NCAA Championship after tying for seventh place.

Jao-Javanil and Mueller were both named to the 2011 All-Big 12 team last week, marking the first time since 2004 that Oklahoma has had multiple golfers awarded all-conference status. Ten OU golfers have received All-Big 12 honors a total of 15 times in the conference's 15 years of competition.

Freshman Emily Collins will start in the Sooners' No. 3 spot. Collins recorded a team-best nine birdies en route to a 32nd-place tie at the Big 12 Championship, including five in the second round.

Freshman Anne-Catherine Tanguay and junior Brooke Collins will play out of the No. 4 and 5 positions, respectively.

A total of 378 golfers have been selected for NCAA regional competition at three sites. Of those participants, 126 will advance to the championships finals. At each regional, the top eight team finishers and top two individuals not playing on the eight qualifying teams will earn bids to the 2011 NCAA Women's Golf Championship May 18-21 at the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas.

Oklahoma will be seeded 10th in the 24-team NCAA West Regional that boasts eight top-25 teams, including top-ranked USC.

Competition begins Thursday morning, with the Sooners teeing off at 10 a.m. CT. Live stats will be available at Golfstat.com.

The NCAA West Regional Field (Golfweek/Sagarin Ranking):
1. USC (1)
2. Virginia (8)
3. Arizona (9)
4. Georgia (17)
5. Tennessee (11)
6. Pepperdine (16)
7. Iowa State (20)
8. UC Davis (26)
9. Texas A&M (27)
10. Oklahoma (25)
11. Oregon (33)
12. South Carolina (36)
13. Washington (39)
14. Tulsa (46)
15. Denver (43)
16. San Diego State (44)
17. Brigham Young (59)
18. New Mexico (54)
19. Texas-San Antonio (55)
20. Portland State (70)
21. New Mexico State (56)
22. San Jose State (62)
23. Oral Roberts (72)
24. UTEP (94)

Individuals:
1. Kayla Mortellaro, Idaho
2. Teo Poplawski, Idaho
3. Amy Anderson, North Dakota State
4. Brianna Espinoza, Colorado State
5. Jessica Hollandsworth, Maryland
6. Chelsey Cothran, Baylor

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Set to Compete in NCAA West Regional

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