INDIANAPOLIS, IND -- Flagler College and Lander University were both selected to compete in the 2023 NCAA Women's Golf South Regional as announced by the national office on Monday night. The two teams will begin play on Monday, May 8, at the Chattahoochee Golf Club in Gainesville, Ga. The regional is being hosted by the University of North Georgia.

UNG's Madeline Ananthasane was selected to compete as an individual.

This is the fifth time the PBC has sent multiple teams to the NCAA women's golf tournament, the first since 2017.

Lander makes their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance as a team. The Bearcats won the 2023 Peach Belt Conference championship for the first time since 2013 and are currently ranked #18 in the nation by the WGCA and #20 by Golfstat.

Sakurako Tanaka was the medalist at the Peach Belt championships, collecting her first career win. Kajsa Lindqvist is currently ranked #57 by Golfstat and Ella Nilsson is ranked #144. Hannah Stephenson also returns to the NCAA regional; she participated as an individual in 2022 and finished in the top five to reach the NCAA national finals.

Flagler makes the program's ninth regional appearance with the last one coming in 2021 when the Saints finished a program-best fifth place.

The Saints have three players ranked in NCAA Division II by Golfstat: Stella Jelinek (No. 7), Jordyn Hodgson (No. 105), and Sophie Wheeler (No. 147).

Flagler is the the No. 9 seed and one of six schools from the southeast region participating in the regional. South Atlantic Conference champion Anderson University is No. 3 while Limestone University is the No. 7 seed with Wingate seeded No. 10. UNC Pembroke, the Conference Carolinas champion, is the No. 12 seed.

Sunshine State Conference champion Lynn University is the No. 1 seed. Fellow SSC members Nova Southeastern University (No. 2), Rollins College (No. 4), the University of Tampa (No. 5), and No. 8 Barry University are in the field. Lee University, the Gulf South Conference champs, are the No. 6 seed.

Eleven of the 12 teams in the tournament are ranked nationally by Golfstat, including four in the top 10 alone. Lynn is ranked No. 1, Nova Southeastern is No. 3, Anderson is at No. 5, and Rollins is No. 8. This regional has produced 18 national champions and 14 runners-up in the 22-year history of the championship. Florida Tech was the last school from the region to win a national title (2019).

The five lowest team scores along with the two lowest individual scores on teams not advancing will go on to play in the NCAA Division II National Championships, May 16-20, at the Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Missouri.  

 

South Regional
Chattahoochee Golf Club Gainesville, Georgia
Host: University of North Georgia

Teams:

1. Lynn [Sunshine State Conference]
2. Nova Southeastern
3. Anderson (South Carolina) [South Atlantic Conference]
4. Rollins
5. University of Tampa
6. Lee [Gulf South Conference]
7. Limestone
8. Barry
9. Flagler
10. Wingate
11. Lander [Peach Belt Conference]
12. UNC Pembroke [Conference Carolinas]

Individuals:

1. Amelie Alcantara, Eckerd
2. Maddie Ananthasane, North Georgia
3. Loren Perez, Florida Southern
4. Alia Scotka, West Florida
5. Loa Johannsson, Embry-Riddle (Florida)
6. Ainsley Cowart, West Georgia