@OspreyMGolf Open Play Monday in NCAA Tucson Regional

Monday, May 16

Tucson, Ariz. (Gallery GC)

9:20 a.m.

University of North Florida

NCAA Tucson Regional

5/15/2016 10:00:00 AM | Men's Golf

By: North Florida Athletics

North Florida Postseason Notes/Stats Package (pdf)

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The No. 36-ranked North Florida men's golf team tees off Monday morning in opening round action of the NCAA Tucson Regional at the North Course of The Gallery Golf Club. UNF is slated to begin play at 9:20 a.m. (7:20 a.m MT) from hole 10.

The Ospreys are making their seventh consecutive appearance in an NCAA Regional and eighth in the last 10 seasons. UNF is seeded sixth in the 14-team field with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Championships after 54 holes of play on the par 72, 7,258-yard layout of The Gallery. The NCAA Championships will be held May. 27-June 1 in Eugene, Ore. The Ospreys have advanced to the NCAA Championship round four times in the program's Division I Era.

"We are looking forward to heading out West," said 11th year head coach Scott Schroeder, who has seen the UNF team or an individual qualify for NCAA Regional play in nine seasons. "Desert golf will present a different challenge that we will need to learn quickly, but I see no reason why we can't adjust and compete at a very high level. The guys have been working really hard so it should be fun to get on the course and compete for a chance to play in Eugene."

Senior Taylor Hancock leads a talented but young squad into regional play. A first-team All-Atlantic Sun performer, Hancock topped the team with a 72.48 stroke average this season and has posted 12 rounds in NCAA Tournament play during his career. Sophomore Dillon Woods will be making his second NCAA appearance after playing in the lineup last season.

Andrew Alligood, the ASun Freshman of the Year, heads up a trio of newcomers in Osprey lineup. He will be joined by fellow freshmen Philip Knowles and Travis Trace.

The Tucson Regional features a loaded field of competitors with nine squads, including UNF, ranked in the Top 50 nationally. No. 1 ranked Stanford sits atop the list followed by No. 12 Wake Forest, No. 13 California, No. 24 Oregon, No. 25 North Carolina, UNF, No. 37 UAB, No. 48 Georgia Tech and No. 50 St. Mary's. The remaining teams in the field include: Georgia State, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, UC Riverside and Siena. The Ospreys have faced eight of the other teams in the field this season and posted a 6-12-0 head-to-head record.

North Florida will play alongside fourth-seeded Oregon and fifth-seeded North Carolina on the opening day. Live scoring results for all three rounds of the event are available online at Golfstat.com.