The ETSU women’s golf team made history on Monday, as the Buccaneers received an at-large bid to the NCAA regionals May 6-8 at the Ironwood Country Club in Greenville, N.C. It marks the first time in program history that the women’s team has received an at-large bid.The Bucs, who spent much of the season ranked in the nation’s Top 50, were selected as one of 24 teams to compete in the NCAA East Regional hosted by East Carolina University.

The NCAA regional format is made up of three regional events and a total of 72 teams. To advance to the NCAA finals, teams must finish in the top eight at their respective regional.

ETSU was left having to hope for an at-large bid after finishing tied for third at the Atlantic Sun Conference championships earlier this month. However, the team’s season will now continue.

“Obviously, it was disappointing not winning conference because we really like our team this year,” said ETSU head coach Stefanie Shelton.

“But every year we have the ultimate goal of competing for the national championship, and we are excited that we will get that chance this season.”

The East region will consist of some of the nation’s top teams, including Auburn, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Most impressive for the Atlantic Sun Conference is that three of the 24 teams in the East will come from the league – Stetson (league auto bid), ETSU and Campbell.

“It’s certainly a strong field, but I know we have a team that could meet this challenge and finish in the top eight,” Shelton said.

“We have a team with four of five players averaging 75.7 in stroke average, which is what we need. We need our entire team to show up and play the golf they are capable of. We don’t want to stop making history at ETSU.”

The Bucs will be playing for their first ever trip to the NCAA finals. In 2008, Shelton’s squad made their first-ever regional appearance after winning the A-Sun championships and earning the league’s automatic bid.

Fans will be able to keep up with the Bucs by visiting Golfstat.com and clicking on the NCAA East Regional link. ETSUBucs.com will also provide complete coverage.

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