Alabama Men's Golf Finishes Tied For Third Place
At NCAA Men's Golf Washington Regional
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
The 2017 NCAA Men's Golf National Championship will be played May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms course in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Seawell said, "It means a great deal to take this team to nationals. One of the things we talked about as a team last night was that every time they have had their backs against the wall, which has been most of the year, they have always responded. That's a credit to all five of our guys here, as well as the ones who aren't with us. They never panicked at a time it's very easy to panic. They have answered the bell every time, including today, and I am just very proud of them."
Alabama's 282 on Wednesday was its best round of the regional as well as the lowest team score in the entire field. In that final round, three UA men shot below par, including Lee Hodges (3-under 68), Josh Sedeno (2-under 69) and Davis Riley (1-under 70).
Seawell commented, "It's been a long-standing tradition that any time you win the day, you get a milkshake. Our guys knew that and that's one of the first things they mentioned after we realized we had the low round. On a day that is nerve-racking, it's tense and to go out there and play that kind of golf on a tough course makes me very proud of our guys. They deserve a large milkshake – probably a cookies and cream one tonight."
This will be Alabama's eighth NCAA National Championship appearance in the past 10 years, and captured the NCAA National Championship title in both 2013 and 2014.
Hodges tied for eighth overall, his team-leading fifth top-10 finish of the season. Riley tied for 17th, his seventh top-25 finish this year. Steven Setterstrom finished in a tie for 22nd place, his second-best finish this season. Sedano finished the tournament tied for 40th and Jonathan Hardee tied for 47th.
Winning the Washington Regional was top-ranked USC with a 3-under par 849, finishing 12 strokes ahead of 12th-ranked Kent State (855). The Alabama Crimson Tide tied No. 24 Florida State for third place, while Penn State (863) placed fifth to also earn a spot at nationals.
"We are going to get back to Tuscaloosa late Thursday night," Seawell said. "I am going to give them the weekend off and we will begin with some preparation work on Monday and Tuesday before flying out to Chicago on Tuesday with the thought of hopefully being able to watch our women's team playing for a national title on Wednesday."
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Crimson Tide Women's Golf
To Begin NCAA Championships This Friday
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The second-ranked University of Alabama women's golf team will be making its 12th-consecutive appearance at the 2017 NCAA Women's Golf Championships. This is the 13th overall appearance for Alabama women's golf at the championships. The Crimson Tide will be one of 24 teams at this year's tournament, which will be held May 19-24 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The Bama ladies are scheduled to tee off at noon CT on Friday and 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. UA will be grouped with Stanford and Florida in the first two rounds.
The Crimson Tide was the winner by 14 strokes over runner-up Northwestern University in the NCAA Athens Regional, allowing the women to advance to this year's tournament, The win is the third regional title all-time for the Tide, with previous victories coming at the NCAA East Regional championships in 2011 at Daytona Beach, Florida and 2013 at Auburn, Alabama.
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Alabama Baseball To Face Vanderbilt Tonight
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Alabama baseball team will take on the Vanderbilt Commodores this evening at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee to close out the 2017 regular-season
schedule. Two other games will follow in the three-game final regular season and Southeastern Conference contest. Tonight's game is slated for a 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch. Game two will be Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. CT, with the series finale scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. All three games
will air live on SEC Network+.
Tonight's contest will be the 153rd meeting between the two teams, with Alabama holding a 92-58-2 all-time advantage. While the Tide holds a 27-24 advantage in games played in Nashville, Vandy has come out on top in four of the last five series played in the Music City.
Alabama will start pitcher Deacon Medders in tonight's contest, while Vanderbilt will counter with Patrick Raby.
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Mike Oczypok Named By The SEC
To The 2017 Community Service Team
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| Mike Oczypok University of Alabama baseball Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
Oczypok is currently in his fifth season with the Crimson Tide baseball team, and has been a significant help in the community while at The Capstone. He has contributed double-digit community service hours each academic year, as well as multiple hours as part of team events. Not only that, but he also has volunteered his time outside of required team activities.
He has led all Bama baseball players this season in hours worked. To begin the current year, Oczypok spent time volunteering for the "Yeah Yeah Yeah 5K" on campus to help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. He then followed with a visit to the Miracle League of Tuscaloosa with his teammates, meeting with the League's players, signing autographs, snapping pictures and taking part in a pick-up game to close out the afternoon.
Oczypok has been an active participant at the Alabama Athletics Department's annual "Halloween Extravaganza" inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. He was a part of the "Tide Moves" Fall project and closed out the year with a visit to Sprayberry Elementary for the school's annual Christmas party with the Alabama baseball team.
Perhaps the most important to the young man was his time with the Al's Pals Mentorship Program. During his freshman and senior seasons, Oczypok mentored a student for three hours one night each week for an entire semester. Each year, over 1,000 university students serve as mentors and student leaders to help their mentees with completing homework, reinforcing reading and math skills, and by joining them in enrichment and recreational activities.
Oczypok has also contributed his time as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, while also being a part of Crimson Catalysts (junior leadership council) and Legacy Leaders (senior leadership council).
The Southeastern Conference names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each member school who gives back to his or her community through superior service efforts.
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Vanderbilt Extends Football Coach Derek Mason's Contract Another 3 Years
Vanderbilt University has extended by three years the contract of head football coach Derek Mason, according to Adam Sparks of the Tennessean.
Confirmation of the raise and extension came from Vanderbilt Athletic Director David Williams. Mason receives a raise, and expanded recruiting budget. Also thrown in are extensions and raises for several assistant coaches.
Mason is 13-24 in his three seasons at the helm of the Vanderbilt University football team. The Commodores were 6-7 this past season and played in the Independence Bowl.
