May 5, 2008

IRVING, Texas - UAB, the 2008 Conference USA Men's Golf Champion, along with Memphis, SMU and UCF have all been selected to compete in the 2008 NCAA Regionals, which will be held May 15-17. This is the second consecutive year that C-USA has sent four men's teams to the postseason.

UAB is the No. 10 seed in the East Regional, which will be played at Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. The event will be hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. UAB earned the league's automatic berth after posting a five-under-par 283 team total to move from third place after 36 holes to claim the title. Junior Zach Sucher earned medalist honors, while teammate Brad Smith tied Sucher's low round of 66 on the final 18 to spark the championship run.

It marks the No. 26 Blazers' seventh NCAA appearance in program history and the sixth trip to a Regional in the last 10 seasons under head coach Alan Kaufman. The league title was the first for UAB in Conference USA.

The Blazers will be joined by at-large selections Memphis and SMU in the East Regional. SMU is the No. 18 seed, while Memphis is seeded No. 21.

Grant Robbins, the C-USA Coach of the Year, is guiding Memphis to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1988. Robbins helped three Memphis golfers finish among the Top 15 and he coached two all-conference selections. Robbins also led his team to three Top 5 finishes and seven Top 10 finishes in 2007-08. He is in his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater.

The Mustangs are led by freshman Kelly Kraft, the C-USA Freshman of the Year. Kraft, a native of Denton, Texas, had a strong first season on the Hilltop, twice earning Conference USA Men's Golfer of the Week honors. He claimed medalist honors at the Louisiana Classics Golf Tournament and finished second at the Diet Pepsi Shocker Classic. In addition, teammates Ben Tewes and Dan Kleckner had strong showings at the C-USA Championship as they finished fourth and eighth, respectively.

UCF received an at-large bid to compete in the West Region as the No. 9 seed. The Golf Mountain Golf Club and the University of Washington will host this year's regional. UCF's successful season has included a pair of tournament titles, numerous individual accolades and a consistent spot in the national rankings. The lone Knight to play in all 11 of the team's events in 2007-08, David Johnson garnered Conference USA Newcomer of the Year honors following the league championship.

The NCAA Regionals will consist of 81 teams battling for a national title, with each of the three regional sites hosting 27 teams and six individuals.

A total of 10 teams and two individuals from each region will advance to the national championship, which will be conducted May 28-31 on the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University is the host institution for this year's championships.