May 9, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The University of Virginia men's golf team has earned a berth into the 2005 NCAA Men's Golf Championship. The No. 17 seed Cavaliers are one of 27 teams to be invited to the East Regional on May 19-21 at the Golf Club of Tennessee in Nashville, Tenn.

A total of 81 teams made the NCAA field with 27 teams participating in each of the three regionals. The other two NCAA regional sites are South Bend, Ind. (central), and Stanford, Calif. (west). The national championship is slated for June 1-4 at the Caves Valley Golf Course in Baltimore, Md.

Under the guidance of first-year head coach Bowen Sargent and assistant coach Shane Howell, Virginia has posted nine Top 10 finishes this season, highlighted by a tie for second at the Cavalier Classic on April 24. Junior Brad Tilley (Chappaqua, N.Y.) leads the Cavaliers with a 73.00 stroke average.

Virginia has played in the NCAA East Regional 10 times since 1990. This is UVa's first trip to the regional since it tied for 18th in 2002. The Cavaliers have also advanced to the NCAA Championship 11 times. UVa's first appearance at the national championship came in 1939. It's most recent trip was in 2000 when the Hoos tied for 25th. Two Cavaliers have been crowned individual national champions- Lew Oehmig (1939) and Dixon Brooke (1940). Three-time All-American James Driscoll (1997-00) was the last Cavalier to compete individually at the national championship, finishing ninth in 2000.