FERRIS STATE TO HOST NCAA REGIONAL TOURNEY THIS SPRING

Program Receives First-Ever Bid To Host A NCAA Women’s Golf Tournament Event

Head coach Brad Bedortha and his Ferris State women's golf team will serve as the hosts for the 2004 NCAA Division II Championships East Regional this spring.

The Ferris State University women’s golf program has been approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to serve as the host institution for the East Regional of the 2004 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships which are scheduled for May 4-5, 2004 at FSU’s Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich.

The Bulldogs, who will be hosting a NCAA Regional for the first time ever in the program’s history, were awarded the bid primarily as a result of the university’s high-quality golf facilities. Ferris State will also host the 2004 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women’s Golf Championships (April 24-25), which signifies its debut as a conference tourney host.

“We’re quite excited to be the host for this (regional) tournament, “said FSU fifth-year head coach Brad Bedortha. “We’ve submitted bids before but were never fortunate to serve as a host. This is the first time we will get to play on our home course in regional play and not have to worry about travel. It’s also a great opportunity for both our program and Ferris State University to get recognized.

“By hosting, we get the chance to showcase our top-notch facilities and the golf course,” added Bedortha.

The other three (North, South and West) regional tournaments will be also be conducted in May 4-5 to determine the championship field. The North Regional will be held at the Mankato (Minn.) Golf Club with Minnesota State University, Mankato serving as the host. The Stonebrook Country Club in Pensacola, Fla., will be the South Regional site and the University of West Florida is the host. The West Regional, hosted by Western New Mexico University, will take place at the University Golf Course in Las Cruces, N.M.

Regional tournaments are considered preliminary rounds of the NCAA championships competition, and all national championships policies will apply. Each regional will consist of both teams and individual competition conducted concurrently. All participants will compete throughout the 54 holes of competition with 36 holes scheduled for Tuesday, May 4, and the remaining 18 to be played Wednesday, May 5. The top two teams along with the top two individuals not with a team, from each regional, will advance to the 2004 NCAA-II National Championships which will be held May 11-14 at the Division II Spring Sports Festival in Orlando, Fla.

A season ago, Ferris State finished in third place of six participating teams at the 54-hole NCAA-II East Regional with a three-round 985 score (330-327-328–985). The tournament took place at the Findlay (Ohio) Country Club with the University of Findlay serving as the host institution.