TOURNEY TIDBITS: 2023 NCAA Norman Regional

Monday, May 15

Norman, Okla.

University of North Florida

NCAA Norman Regional

5/14/2023 12:00:00 PM | Men's Golf

Tourney Field Team Statistics

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's golf will compete in its 14th NCAA regional tournament when the Ospreys face off against the nation's best in the NCAA Norman Regional hosted by Oklahoma from May 15-17 at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.

The Ospreys are coming off one of their best showings of the season after breaking the program's 54-hole tournament score record at the ASUN meet at 49-under 815. Nick Gabrelcik and Robbie Higgins both made the conference's All-Tournament team, while all five Ospreys placed inside the top 17 individuals.

UNF will attempt to make the NCAA Championship in back-to-back years, as well as their fourth team appearance since 2018. Last season, they finished tied for third as a team with Gabrelcik leading the way at 7-under 203 to finish with a share of fourth overall.

COURSE REPORT

Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club (Norman, Okla.)
Par 72 | 7,452 Yards
54 holes (Three rounds of 18 holes)

ON THE TEE

Nick Gabrelcik (68.90)
Robbie Higgins (70.47)
Davis Lee (71.78)
Lance Yates (73.28)
Cody Carroll (72.70)

THE FIELD: 14 Teams

#5 Texas Tech
#9 Oklahoma
#17 Alabama
#20 Ole Miss
#29 Wake Forest
#32 Duke
#41 LSU
#44 North Florida
#52 Colorado
#56 Kansas
#77 UNC-Wilmington
Louisiana-Lafayette
Princeton
Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Individuals
Luke Gutschewski, Iowa State
Nathan Petronzio, SMU
Bret Gray, Sam Houston State
Vicente Marzilio, North Texas
James Swash, Louisiana Tech

TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK

North Florida will play in its 13th consecutive NCAA regional tournament, as well as their 14th appearance overall.
The Ospreys will aim to make the NCAA Championship in back-to-back years, as well as for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
They are coming off a second-place finish in an ASUN Championship appearance that broke a program record for 54-hole score in a tournament.
Davis Lee and Cody Carroll joins Gabrelcik and Higgins with experience play in the NCAA regional meet from last season, as well as the championship round as well.
All four players that competed at the meet last year placed in the top 25 overall on the player's leaderboard.
Lance Yates will be the only new face to the NCAA postseason scene with this being his first appearance in a regional tournament.
This will be UNF's ninth-consecutive NCAA regional played outside the state of Florida.
First tournament played in Oklahoma since the NCAA Norman Regional in 2018 where they tied for second and advanced to the NCAA Championship.
UNF has placed in the top five in all but one tournament played out of 10 total when Gabrelcik is in the lineup.
Four top-two finishes on the year as well with their only team title on the season being at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational.
Will show a lineup of a graduate, a senior, a redshirt junior and two juniors.
The tournament field consists of 14 teams from across the nation and five individuals.
The top five teams with the best score after three rounds will advance to the NCAA Championship, as well as the top individual from a non-advancing team.
The Ospreys are one of eight top-50 teams in the regional meet headlined by No. 5 Texas Tech and No. 9 Oklahoma.
The event will start on Monday, May 15, and will conclude the evening of Wednesday, Apr. 17.
One round of 18 holes total will be played on each day from Monday through Wednesday.

FROM THE 19TH HOLE

Gabrelcik enters the NCAA postseason with a 68.90 scoring average and nine top-10 finishes and 10 tournaments played. The three-time ASUN Golfer of the Year looks for another top-five finish at the NCAA Regionals after placing fourth last season in New Haven, Conn.
Higgins has also been stellar this season with a 70.47 scoring average, a team-high 20 rounds under par, and six top-10 finishes. The back-to-back First Team All-ASUN selection looks to continue his momentum after earning his second consecutive All-Tournament selection at the conference meet.
Lee joins Higgins as the only Ospreys to play in all 12 meets on the year with a 71.78 scoring average and 15 rounds under par. The senior finished strong at the ASUN meet at 6-under 66 in the third round and a ninth overall placement at the tournament.
Carroll is playing in his fifth and final year with the team and has eight rounds under par and three top-25 finishes. The graduate joins Gabrelcik and Lee with the most experience in postseason play, as this will be his third time competing in regionals.
Yates is coming off his best performance of the season much like the other Ospreys in the lineup. He scored a career-best 4-under 68 in the second round to help him finish among the top 15 of the tournament's field.

UP NEXT

The Ospreys will advance to the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz., from May 26-31, if they can place as one of the top five teams in Norman this week.