NCAA Awards Automatic Qualification for Women's Golf
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. - The September NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet has awarded an automatic qualification for women's golf for 27 conferences, including the MAAC, for the 2012 championship.
The 27 conferences that received the AQ for women's golf are: Atlantic Coast Conference; Atlantic Sun Conference; Big East Conference; Big Sky Conference; Big South Conference; Big Ten Conference; Big 12 Conference; Big West Conference; Colonial Athletic Association; Conference USA; Horizon League; The Ivy League; MAAC, Mid-American Conference; Missouri Valley Conference; Mountain West Conference; Northeast Conference; Ohio Valley Conference; Pac-12 Conference; Southeastern Conference; Southern Conference; Southland Conference; Southwestern Athletic Conference; The Summit League; Sun Belt Conference, Western Athletic Conference, and the West Coast Conference.
"Our MAAC Championship takes on a whole new meaning now that we received an AQ to the NCAA Championship," Theresa Berg, Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator at Niagara University and chair of the MAAC Women's Tennis Committee, said. "This is an exciting time for our coaches and female golfers who have the opportunity to compete at the highest level. This will only help build and strengthen the women's golf programs in our league."
Franklin, Tenn., will serve as the host for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship. The event will be held at the Vanderbilt Legends Club on May 22-25, with Vanderbilt University serving as the host. Vanderbilt Legends Club's private facility features two championship courses co-designed by Hall of Fame golfer Tom Kite and renowned golf course architect Bob Cupp. Since opening in 1992, Vanderbilt Legends Club has been widely recognized as Middle Tennessee's premier golf facility and has played host to numerous marquee events, including LPGA Tour tournaments, U.S. Senior Open Qualifying and U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
The 2012 MAAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships will take place April 27-29 at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Siena College won its 11th straight women's golf title last season with a three-day total of 952. Fairfield University finished second with a score of 969, followed by the University of Hartford (1000), University at Albany (1035), Boston University (1040), and Niagara University (1152). Siena's Katelynn Mannix and Kylie Strijek led the way for the Saints with scores of 221 and 239, respectively.