The late-season surge for the WVU golf team has led the Mountaineers to a spot in the NCAA National Championship.
West Virginia, the No. 10 seed in the Rancho Santa Fe Regional near San Diego, finished the 54-hole competition Wednesday in a tie with Oklahoma State for third place in the 14-team field with a team total of 5-over. The top five teams advance to nationals. Oklahoma won the regional title and they were followed by California. North Florida secured the final qualifying spot.
Final Rancho Sante Fe Regional results
WVU will make their second appearance at nationals. The Mountaineers last qualified in 1947.
Playing in their second regional competition since the program was reestablished in 2015, the Mountaineers stood in fifth place after Monday’s opening round and they climbed to third after Tuesday’s second round. Their second-round total of even par was best in the field.
Max Green led the WVU contingent with a 54-hole total of 1-under. He finished in sixth place. Shady Spring High School graduate Todd Duncan came in 13th place at 3-over. Kaleb Wilson posted 4-over. Jackson Davenport (7-over) and Pierce Grieve (12-over) rounded out the scoring for WVU.
The national championships will be hosted by the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 24-29. 30 teams have qualified for the event, which is a mix of stroke play and match play. Following 54 holes of competition, the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will advance for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match-play competition and the 72-hole stroke-play individual champion. The top eight teams after 72 holes of play will be placed into a bracket thereafter.