Houston, here we come! Clayton State advances to NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championships
20th-ranked Lakers finish fourth overall at NCAA Division II Southeast Regional

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – May 7, 2008 – The Clayton State Laker men’s golf team can keep their bags packed for one more week. They are going to Houston.

Clayton State came on strong in the final round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional on Wednesday and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time since the 1999 season. The 20th-ranked Lakers shot a 301 for the final round and finished with a 901 overall to claim the fifth and final spot in the Regional for next week’s National Championships in Houston, Texas.

The Lakers edged Peach Belt Conference rival and 24th-ranked Lander by one stroke and Barton by three strokes in the combined Southeast/Atlantic Regionals at The Point Lake and Golf Club. Georgia College and Belmont Abbey each earned the automatic qualifier by winning their respected Regionals, while Clayton State, Newberry and USC Aiken earned the at-large berths – all three from the Southeast Regional.

"I didn’t think a 301 would make it, but it did," said Clayton State head coach Barry Harwell. "But this (advancing to the NCAA Championship) is a good step for the program and a nice reward. I’m so proud of these guys, they’ve worked hard all season and this is special.

"This is not something I had in the plans at the beginning of the season, but the opportunity is now here, and we need to take advantage of it."

Like Tuesday’s second round, the Lakers were again sluggish throughout the final round, trailing Lander and Barton the entire. However, junior Will Wilcox put Clayton State in striking distance with three birdies on the last five holes. He record birdies on 14, 16 and 18 to finish the round at one-under par.

From there, the Lakers had to wait as both Lander and Barton stumbled on the back nine, enabling the Clayton State to advance.

Wilcox finished fifth overall for the Regional with a two-over 218 (73-74-71). In addition, junior Jonathan Visconti finished tied for 24th overall with a 229 (75-79-75), while freshman Kevin Duncan (77-77-77) and sophomore Wade Binfield (73-80-78) each finished tied for 27th with a 231. Neil McBride rounded out the Clayton State scoring finishing 35th with a 234 (75-74-85).

"It was definitely a game of attrition," Harwell said. "Will stood up and showed what he was made of down the stretch, but this was a team effort. For Kevin to play as well he did for a freshman at this level was tremendous."

The NCAA Division II National Championships will be on May 14-17 at the Memorial Park Golf Club in Houston.

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL SCORES/ATLANTIC REGIONAL SCORES