GOLF CENTRAL: NCAA Championships

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee women's golf team begins NCAA Championships play Friday in Fayetteville, Ark.

This will be the 14th trip to the NCAA Championships in program history and the 12th time in the Judi Pavon era the Lady Vols advance to the NCAA Championships. The Lady Vols advanced to the NCAA Championships after finishing sixth in the NCAA Auburn Regional last week.

The national champion in women's golf has been determined via a combination of stroke play and match play since the 2015 season. After three rounds of stroke play, a cut will be made to the top 15 teams who will play a fourth round of stroke play. Following the fourth round, the top eight teams on the leaderboard will compete in match play.

In the first year of the match play format in 2015, Tennessee advanced to the quarterfinals of match play at the NCAA Championships, finishing fifth in Bradenton, Fla.

This is the third time UT has qualified for the NCAA Championship under the new format as it also made it in 2016.

It will be the first appearance in the championships for four of the five players on the team with junior Micheala Williams being the lone Lady Vol with experience in the NCAA Championships.

Last season, Williams qualified as an individual and tied for 27th on the individual leaderboard in Stillwater, Okla. This season Williams, who was recently named an All-SEC selection, leads the team into the championships with a 71.26 scoring average this spring.

This includes seven consecutive top-25 finishes with four top-10 finishes this spring.

Sophomore Mariah Smith was the top finisher for the team at the NCAA Regionals, tying for 11th on the individual leaderboard at even par for the tournament. Smith has had four top-25 finishes this spring including two of the last three tournaments entering the NCAA Championships.

Tomorrow's first round is scheduled to start at 9:21 a.m. (ET) at The Blessings Golf Club. Tennessee will be paired with Central Florida and Indiana, teeing off of hole No. 1.
The Lady Vols will also be paired with Central Florida and Indiana in the second round on Saturday, teeing off hole No. 10 at 2:01 p.m. ET.

The Lady Vols' Lineup
Mariah Smith
Smith, who is second on the team in stroke average (73.75), was the top finisher for the at the NCAA Regionals, tying for 11th at even par. This spring Smith has four top-25 finishes including her first collegiate win at the FAU Winter Warm Up.

Micheala Williams
The Athens, Ala. native comes into the NCAA Championships as the team leader in stroke average (72.84), rounds of par or better (13), top-10 finishes (6) and rounds in the 60s (8). So far this spring, Williams has a team-low 71.26 stroke average.

Waverly Whiston
Whiston enters the NCAA Championships with five top-25 finishes including three so far this spring. The sophomore is third on the team in rounds counted (24) and rounds of par or better (8).

Ariana Macioce
The senior has finished in the top 25 in seven of the last 10 events, ranking second on the team in top-25 finishes this season. Her 84.62 percent of rounds counted ranks first of the five players who are in the lineup for the NCAA Championships.

Mikayla Bardwell
Bardwell, who has played in the Tennessee lineup in every tournament during her freshman campaign, enters the NCAA Championships third on the team in stroke average (73.90) and leads the team in rounds counted with 26 this season.

Participating Teams (24) – in order of finish at regional sites
Auburn Regional Site: 1. Vanderbilt 2. Florida State 3. Duke 4. Virginia 5. Auburn 6. Tennessee

Cle Elum Regional Site: 1. Southern California 2. Washington 3. Northwestern 4. Arkansas 5. San Jose State 6. Central Florida

East Lansing Regional Site: 1. Kent State 2. Arizona 3. UCLA 4. Stanford 5. Illinois 6. Indiana

Norman Regional Site: 1. Texas 2. Florida 3. Wake Forest 4. Purdue 5. Arizona State 6. Mississippi

Course Information
Blessings Golf Club – Fayetteville, Ark. – Par 73 – 6,473 yards

Live Scoring
GolfStat.com

Tee Times
Friday, May 17 – First Round – Play starts at 8:15 a.m. ET with groups teeing off holes No. 1 and No. 10

Saturday, May 18 – Second Round – Play starts at 8:15 a.m. ET with groups teeing off holes No. 1 and No. 10. Times will be determined based on the order of finish after round one

Sunday, May 19 – Third Round – Play starts at 8:15 a.m. ET with groups teeing off holes No. 1 and No. 10. Times will be determined based on the order of finish after round two

**After a cut to the top-15 teams on the leaderboard. Top nine individuals will remain in field to compete for individual national championship**

Monday, May 20 – Fourth Round – Play starts at noon ET with groups teeing off holes No. 1 and No. 10. Times will be determined based on the order of finish after round three

**After a cut to the top-eight teams on the leaderboard. Teams will be seeded for match play based on order of finish in stroke play**

Tuesday, May 22 – Match Play Quarterfinals & Semifinals – Play starts at 8:00 a.m. ET with groups teeing off holes No. 1 and No. 10. Times will be determined based on seeding

**National Championship Match**

Wednesday, May 23 – Match Play Final – Play starts at 3:25 p.m. ET with groups teeing off hole No. 1