Augusta State’s Natalie Wille and Casey Kennedy earned at-large bids to the NCAA East Regional Monday night when the field of 72 teams and 378 individuals was announced from the NCAA’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind.
A senior from Balsta, Sweden, Wille has registered one of the top seasons in the Lady Jaguar Golf program’s 12-year history. Wille paced the squad in stroke average (73.8) and in nine events, she posted eight top-20 finishes and five top-5’s. In five spring events, her worst finish was a tie for the 13th in the Lady Buckeye Invitational.
She captured the Central District Invitational for her second collegiate victory in March and made a hole-in-one during the tourney. Wille finished the regular season ranked 49th in the nation, according to Golfstat.
Kennedy, a junior from Cape May, N.J., was nearly as impressive and ranked second on the squad to Wille in stroke average (74.38). She notched eight top-25 finishes in 10 events, including five top 20’s, three top 10’s and two top-5’s. She won medalist honors at the Purdue Mount Vintage Invitational and carded a career-best, 5-under 67 in opening round of UCF Challenge. In five spring events, her worst finish was a tie for 25th in ASU’s own Insperity Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate. Kennedy was ranked 83rd in the nation.
The NCAA East Regional will be contested May 9-11 at Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala. The top eight teams and top two individuals not on an advancing team from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, which are slated for May 21-24 at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.