EDMOND – Central Oklahoma is hosting the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships at KickingBird Golf May 5-7 with the Bronchos qualifying for regionals for a 17th consecutive season.
UCO is one of 18 programs competing for a regional title in Edmond next week, with six more individuals challenging for a title. The top four teams and top two individuals not on those teams will advance to the national finals in Las Vegas, Nevada May 13-17.
Central Oklahoma has a five-person lineup and will again utilize the option of a substitute. Teams have the option to sub in a sixth player prior to the second or round. MaKaylee Cowan, Estela Castillo, Jirasuda Khunarak, Layne Ailshie, and Scarlet Sturch make up the lineup, with Drew Faires also playing as a potential sub.
"We're excited to be hosting this tournament and ready to play," UCO head women's golf coach Michael Bond said. "We are fortunate to be playing at home and hopeful that will give us a little advantage. But it's also a tough field and we're going to have to compete really well for all three rounds."
The tournament is scheduled to begin Monday morning. Teams will play 18 holes, with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. and the final slot teeing off at 1:10 p.m. each day.
This season, Cowan has played in eight tournaments, two in the fall and all six this spring. The sophomore from Yukon has a 77.6 scoring average through 22 rounds of golf. Cowan finished fourth in Arkansas in March and has three top 20 finishes this spring.
Castillo, also a sophomore, has played in all nine tournaments this season for UCO and after 22 rounds of golf, the Spain native has a 78.1 scoring average. Castillo finished seventh in Missouri in October and also earned a top 20 finish at the MIAA Championships two weeks ago.
Khunarak has played in all nine tournaments and has played a team-high 24 rounds of golf. The senior from Thailand boasts a 77.4 scoring average. Khunarak finished in the top 20 three times and has finished in the top 30 in each of the last three tournaments.
Ailshie, a freshman from Fort Gibson, has played in six events this season. After 14 rounds of golf, she has an 81.0 scoring average. Ailshie has been in the lineup in the last two events and earned a Top 30 at the MIAA Championships two weeks ago.
Sturch is UCO's third sophomore in the lineup and has played 22 rounds of golf for the Bronchos this season. She has a 79.1 scoring average and the Durant native has two top-20 finishes on the year.
Faires, a senior from Oklahoma City, played in one fall event and four this spring. She has an 80.5 scoring average in 11 rounds this season.
UCO has qualified as a team for 15 regional championships in 17 seasons under the direction of head coach Bond, who is in his 17th season leading the program. The Bronchos narrowly missed the field as a team in 2010, but did send an individual qualifier. The 2020 postseason was canceled. Bond has led UCO to two regional championships (2013 and 2014) and six top five finishes. The Bronchos have advanced to the national finals four times (2012-15).
Teams:
1. Central Missouri
2. Henderson State
3. Rogers State
4. Harding
5. Arkansas Tech
6. Southwestern Oklahoma State
7. Arkansas-Fort Smith
8. Nebraska-Kearney
9. Missouri Southern State
10. Augustana
11. Central Oklahoma
12. Northwest Missouri State
13. Washburn
14. Southern Arkansas
15. Wayne State (Nebraska)
16. Oklahoma Baptist
17. Missouri Western
18. Minnesota State
Individuals:
1. Romane Lacoste, Northwestern Oklahoma State
2. Shehna Akbary, Arkansas-Monticello
3. Agathe Lacoste, Northwestern Oklahoma State
4. Ellie Behring, Winona State
5. Haley Whittern, Southern Nazarene
6. Maggie Veenendall, Sioux Falls
