After a one-year hiatus, the UC Davis men’s golf team is back in the NCAA Regional tournament. The Aggies heard about their at-large bid after it was announced on the Golf Channel early on May 5.
UC Davis knew that they had a great shot at getting into the tournament, especially after winning the El Macero Classic and finishing second in the Big West tournament. The Aggies were also ranked No. 62 in the nation. Eighty-one teams were selected for the NCAA tournament.
On May 15, the Aggies will head to Auburn, Ala. to compete in the regional round. They will face competitors like No. 1 Alabama, No. 12 Virginia Tech, and No. 13 Texas.
Resident Big West champion senior Matt Hansen didn’t seem worried about making it into the tournament.
“I knew where our ranking was and I wasn’t too worried,” Hansen said. “Because of where our ranking was, we would have to be really unlucky to not get in.”
Hansen represents the Aggies’ best hope for a victory in the NCAA tournament, especially given his experience in postseason play. The senior golfer won the regional round in his first year on the UC Davis golf team.
After such great play over the last two tournaments, the UC Davis men’s golf team has a lot of momentum moving into the NCAA tournament’s regional round.
RYAN REED can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
