Cyclones Secure Spot At NCAA Louisville Regional

AMES, Iowa – For the sixth time in the last eight seasons, the Iowa State men's golf team will compete in NCAA postseason play. The Cyclones earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Louisville Regional, May 13-15, announced this evening on the Golf Channel.

The Cyclones, ranked 38th nationally by Golfweek, have had a team or player qualify for an NCAA Regional in each of the last eight seasons. Scott Fernandez (2013) and Nick Voke (2016) were recent NCAA individual qualifiers. This marks the 12^th NCAA Regional appearance in Cyclone history: 1991-92, 1995-97, 1999, 2012, 2014-15, 2017-19.

The NCAA Louisville Regional will be contested at the University of Louisville Golf Course in Louisville, Ky. The top five teams in the six regionals will qualify for the NCAA Championship, May 24-29 in Fayetteville, Ark. The top individual not among the five teams advancing will also secure a spot at the national meet.

Iowa State qualified for the NCAA finals in 2014, 2017 and 2018, finishing in the top-20 nationally in each of the last two seasons.

Iowa State head men's golf coach Andrew Tank, now in his ninth season as the Cyclone leader, has elevated the program to elite status with three NCAA Championship appearances in the last five seasons.

"This (NCAA postseason) is something that we always look forward to, something we set our sights on at the beginning of the season," Tank said. "You know that you will be playing against the best players in the country. The best teams. The best coaches. It is a challenge that we look forward to."

The Cyclones are led by junior Tripp Kinney and sophomore Lachlan Barker.

The duo are each on pace to break the school record for season stroke average, as Kinney is first on the team at 70.73 and Barker is close behind at 70.90.

The school mark is held by Fernandez at 71.27 strokes per round in the 2012-13 season.

Kinney has had an outstanding season, shooting par or below in 25 of 30 rounds. The Waukee, Iowa native is ranked 62nd nationally by Golfweek and has a team-best five top-10 finishes.

Kinney is riding a wave of momentum after earning All-Tournament honors at the Big 12 Championship by tying for eighth at 209 (70-69-70).

Barker, a native of Willunga, Australia, is the team leader in birdies (127) and has four top-10 finishes. Barker, who is ranked No. 76 nationally by Golfweek, currently has the lowest career stroke average in school history at 71.57.

2019 NCAA Louisville Regional Participants- in order by seed
Oklahoma State, Auburn, North Florida, Louisville, Baylor, Arkansas State, Iowa State, West Virginia, Arizona, Mississippi State, New Mexico, Jacksonville State, Southern Illinois