CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Coming off another runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships, the Fighting Illini women's golf team will look to continue its strong postseason play at the NCAA East Lansing Regional next week. As the No. 7 seed, Illinois was one of 72 teams selected to four individual sites with each regional championship featuring 18 teams and six individuals.

"We are excited to be staying in the Midwest, in an environment we are familiar with and use to seeing throughout our time at Champaign," said head coach Renee Slone. "The focus will be on preparation and sticking to our process."

The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played next Monday through Wednesday, May 6-8 at Forest Akers West Golf Course (Par 72, 6,387 yards) in East Lansing, Mich. The Illini will open the first day at 7:58 a.m. CT off the first tee, paired with Baylor and North Carolina. The second and final rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday are slated for a 7 a.m. start on both days.

With a mixture of veterans and newcomers, Bing Singhsumalee, Tristyn Nowlin, and freshmen trio, Kornkamol Sukaree, Crystal Wang, and Katie Hallinan will represent the Orange and Blue in East Lansing next week.

Out of the 18 teams, 12 are seeded in the region – No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Arizona, No. 3 Kent State, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Michigan State, No. 6 Campbell, No. 7 Illinois, No. 8 Baylor, No. 9 North Carolina, No. 10 Georgia, No. 11 Louisville, and No. 12 Augusta. Also rounding out the field are LSU, Indiana, Long Beach State, Xavier, Harvard, and IUPUI.

"Of course, the committee has to do the seedings, but we are all at even-par when the tournament starts," noted Slone. "We are focusing on ourselves and the competition, which is the golf course. At the end of the day, we need to be present minded and focused on the process."

The East Lansing regional features 14 of the nation's top 50 teams as ranked by Golfweek, including No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 Arizona, No. 12 UCLA, No. 14 Kent State, the No. 19 Illini, host No. 20 Michigan State, No. 25 Campbell, No. 28 Baylor, No. 38 Georgia, No. 34 Louisville, No. 40 North Carolina, No. 46 LSU, No. 49 Indiana, No. 50 Augusta. A trio of teams represent the Big Ten Conference in this region – No. 5 seed and host Michigan State, No. 7 seed Illinois, and Indiana.

Of the 18 teams, six participated in the 2018 NCAA Championships – No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 Arizona, No. 12 UCLA, No. 14 Kent State, No. 28 Baylor, No. 34 Louisville. 2018 NCAA Regionals participants include the No. 19 Illini, No. 20 Michigan State, No. 25 Campbell, No. 38 Georgia, No. 40 North Carolina, Long Beach State, and IUPUI.

The individual qualifiers in East Lansing are Hee Ying Loy (East Tennessee State), Emma Albrecht (Notre Dame), Kirsty Hodgkins (Colorado), Cecilie Finne-Ipsen (Charlotte), Ashley Lau (Michigan), and Tereza Melecka (East Tennessee State).

The top six teams and the top three individuals not from qualifying teams will advance to the NCAA Championships set for May 17-22 at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. 

The Tournament Venue

The NCAA East Lansing Regional will be played at Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. The course is continually recognized as one of the best public golf courses in Michigan and was selected as one of the "Best Campus Courses in 2018" by Golfweek magazine. The par-72, 6,387-yard layout has hosted several championships including the 1998 and 2008 Big Ten Men's Golf Championship, the 2002 NCAA Women's Central Regional, the 1994 NCAA Women's East Regional, and the 1997 and 2007 Women's Big Ten Championships.

Winning B1G with Conference Awards

Head coach Renee Slone was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, while four Illini golfers were selected to All-Big Ten teams, as announced by the conference office on April 23. Coming full circle, the former Illini women's golf standout is the first coach in program history to garner this honor, while also earning her first conference accolade as head coach.

Additionally, freshmen Crystal Wang and Kornkamol Sukaree earned First Team All-Big Ten honors, while junior Tristyn Nowlin and senior Bing Singhsumalee were both voted to the All-Big Ten second team. Singhsumalee was also the Sportsmanship Award honoree. Singhsumalee and Nowlin earned their third All-Conference recognition, while Wang and Sukaree earned their first All-Big Ten honors.

The Illini had the highest-number of golfers earning all-conference honors with No. 16 Northwestern, No. 20 Michigan State, No. 30 Purdue close behind with three student-athletes each. This matches a program best of four honorees, which was first earned in the 2018 season. It also marks the third consecutive year Illinois has had multiple players named to All-Big Ten Teams.

By the Numbers: NCAA Regionals

• First appearance | Number of appearances: 2002 | 6 include back-to-back appearances (2017, '18)
• Best Team Finish: 7^th (2018)
• Times to advance to the NCAA Championship: Three individuals have advanced – Mary Ellen Murphy (1983), Renee Heiken (1991, '92, '93), and Becky Biehl (1995)

Regional Rewind – NCAA Madison Regional

The Fighting Illini women's golf team narrowly missed a spot at the 2018 NCAA Championships as the team finished one spot away from qualifying at the NCAA East Lansing Regional from May 7-9. The Orange and Blue carded a three-day total of 866 (+2) to finish in seventh place, marking the best regional finish in program history. The six teams that qualified out of Madison were Duke (-14), Virginia (-5), USC (-2), Arizona State (-1), Ohio State (-1) and Northwestern (E). 

Former Illini Grace Park led the way for Illinois, tied for 11th overall. The senior finished the tournament strong with a final round of 69 (-3) to bring her three-day total to 215 (-1). Junior Tristyn Nowlin and Illinois alumnus Chayanid Prapassarangkul weren't far behind, tying for 30th at 218 (+2). Nowlin shot even-par 72 in the first round, while Prapassarangkul had an impressive of 69 (-3) in the second round.  

Last Time Out – Big Ten Championships  

After weather conditions caused the second round of play at the Big Ten Championships to be canceled, the Fighting Illini women's golf team finished in a three-way tie for second-overall with 578 (+2) at the 2019 Big Ten Championships in Maineville, Ohio. The score marks the second-best 36-hole tournament score in program history. Also, the runner-up finish matches the program's best finish at the tournament that was also earned in 1976 and 2018.

Four Illini earned top-15 individual finishes. Leading the way were freshmen duo Crystal Wang and Kornkamol Sukaree, who both tied for eighth place. Their even-par 144 tied the fifth lowest 36-hole tournament total in program history, joining current teammate Tristyn Nowlin. During the first round, Sukaree was the low Illini, firing a 1-under par 71. Wang finished under-par the final day with 2-under par 70.

Returners, Nowlin and Bing Singhsumalee both posted 145 (+1), tying for 11th overall. During the first round, she finished with an even par-72 and five birdies. Singhsumalee was under-par in the final round with 71 (-1), while also finishing with the second-highest birdie total with nine.

As a team, Illinois tied Michigan State and Purdue for the highest birdie total with 31. Ohio State won the championship at 1-under par, while No. 49 Indiana and No. 30 Purdue tied the Illini for second at two-over par. 2018 Big Ten Champions, Michigan State, round out the top-five with 580 (+4).

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