DEKALB, Ill. – The Mid-American Conference Champion Northern Illinois University men's golf team will head to Salem, S.C. for the NCAA Regionals as the NCAA Tournament field was announced on Wednesday afternoon (May 3) on Golf Channel. The NCAA Regionals will take place Monday, May 15 through Wednesday, May 17, at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls.
The Huskies watched the selection show together at Rich Harvest Farms, the home of Huskie Golf.
"I got a little emotional seeing NIU on the screen during the selection show," said head coach John Carlson. "Being able to enjoy that experience with our team at Rich Harvest Farms is great. We have a great opportunity ahead of us. This is a great regional that will set us up for success in the coming weeks."
NIU is one of 14 teams in the Salem Regional, which also includes top-seeded North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, San Diego State, Georgia Southern, Arkansas, Purdue, New Mexico, Clemson, Furman, Middle Tennessee, Long Island and Longwood.
Opened in 2007 and designed by Jack Nicklaus, the par-72, 7,171-yard Cliffs at Keowee Falls course was named the Best in State by Golf Digest and one of the Top 50 Best New Courses by Golfweek. The Huskies are familiar with The Cliffs, having played the course on their spring break trip in March of 2020.
"The Cliffs is one of the best communities in the country for golf," Carlson said. "People fly in from all over to play there. The Keowee Falls course is demanding off the tee. We drive the ball well as a team so it'll set up well for all of our players.
Hosted by Clemson University, the Salem, S.C. Regional is one of six, 54-hole regional tournaments that will determine the 30 qualifying teams and six individuals for the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals.
NIU earned an automatic bid into the NCAA field by winning the MAC Championship on Tuesday, May 2, at Canebrake Golf Club in Athens, Ala. The Huskies posted a five-over, 54-hole total of 869 to top second-place Ball State by four strokes.
Three players finished in the top-10 for NIU, led by Zach Place who tied for fifth at even-par 216. Campbell Wolf was ninth at two-over 218 and Tommy Dunsire tied for 10th at the conference championship, carding a three-over total of 219. Third year NIU head coach John Carlson was named the Kermit Blosser MAC Coach of the Year after guiding the program to its first MAC title since 1985.
"Once we saw our name on the screen and everyone was clapping, it definitely sunk in what we accomplished this week," said Dunsire. "We're really excited to get to Regionals and we feel really good about where we're going."
"We have put together a great season and played a national schedule against many of the teams in the NCAA Tournament," said Carlson. "The competition isn't going to be any different than what we faced at Stanford or Vanderbilt and that's why we scheduled those events. Getting to go on a plane and head down to South Carolina is a great reward for our team for all the hard work they've put in this season that led to a MAC championship."
The Huskies are making their second NCAA appearance in program history. NIU finished 24th at the NCAA Championships in 1976 at the Championship Golf Course at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M.
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