NM State Travels North for NCAA Southwest Regional

Sunday 05/16/2021 | By: NM State Athletics Media Relations

Aggies are 12th seed in 14-team Albuquerque regional

THE TEE OFF
• For the first time since 2015 and for the 15th time in program history, the NM State men's golf team is headed to the NCAA Regional Round. The Aggies will be one of 14 teams in Albuquerque, N.M., for the NCAA Men's Golf Southwest Regional which is set for Monday through Wednesday at The Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque, N.M.
• NM State is the 12th seed at the regional and is set to tee off at 8:55 a.m. Monday morning. Tee times for Tuesday's second round and Wednesday's final round will be set following the conclusion of each preceding round as the teams will be re-paired.
• The Southwest regional is one of six NCAA Regionals occurring around the country. Other NCAA Regional sites include The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Ind. (hosted by Ball State and Hamilton County Sports Authority), the Seminole Legacy Golf Club in Tallahassee, Fla. (hosted by Florida State), Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. (hosted by Oklahoma State), The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tenn. (hosted by Vanderbilt and Nashville Sports Council Teams) and the Tumble Creek Golf & Country Club in Cle Elum, Wash. (hosted by Washington).
• Fans will be allowed to attend the 2021 NCAA Golf Regionals, although due to the current health order, fans will need to abide by all COVID safety regulations including masks and remaining socially distant on the course. Fans may not interact with the golfers and officials in any way due to COVID and testing protocols for the student-athletes, coaches and event staff.

THE NCAA SOUTHWEST REGIONAL FIELD (ordered by seed, national rankings in parentheses followed by GolfStat rankings)
1. Oklahoma (1, 1)
2. Arizona State (9,12)
3. Texas A&M (T14, 14)
4. Texas Tech (19, 22)
5. New Mexico (rv, 29)
6. Stanford (rv, 31)
7. Oregon State (—, 41)
8. Boise State (—, 47)
9. South Carolina (—, 51)
10. Nevada (—, 63)
11. San Diego (—, 66)
12. NM State (—, 150)
13. Oakland (—, 158)
14. Prairie View A&M (—, 263)

ABOUT THE COURSE
• The Championship Golf Course is a 7,248-yard, par-72 course designed by Robert (Red) Lawrence. Comprised of blue and rye fairway grasses as well as a mix of Bent and Poa Annua grasses on the greens, the course was the site of the NCAA Men's National Championships in 1976, 1992 and 1998 for the NCAA Women's National Championships in 1987 and 2008.

THE NM STATE LINEUP
1. Garrison Smith (Day one tee time: 9:39 a.m. on hole 10)
2. Aidan Thomas (Day one tee time: 9:28 a.m. on hole 10)
3. Cole Grossl (Day one tee time: 9:17 a.m. on hole 10)
4. Joseph Robson (Day one tee time: 9:06 a.m. on hole 10)
5. Alvaro Morales (Day one tee time: 8:55 a.m. on hole 10)
Sub: Steven Strasheim

ABOUT THE AGGIES
• Led by four-time Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year Mike Dirks, the Aggies are playing in their first NCAA Regional tournament in over a half-decade. Dirks directed a freshman-laden squad to the program's first WAC Championship Tournament crown since 2015 by holding off a late charge by Grand Canyon on the final day.
• Garrison Smith helped the Aggies outlast the Lopes, generating a par on the 18th and final hole of Sunday's tournament finale. That turned out to be the deciding score as GCU's Matt Polivka bogeyed the hole which allowed the Aggies to hang on for their one-stroke tournament victory. It marked the squad's seventh WAC Tournament title in program history.
• Thanks to his heroics, Smith posted a third-place individual finish at the 2021 WAC Tournament by shooting a 64-71-75=210 (-6). Smith earned a spot on the All-WAC Second Team as a result, too.
• In addition to Dirks and Smith, freshman Aidan Thomas found himself on the receiving end of some impressive WAC individual accolades. The Albuquerque, N.M., product was named the WAC Freshman of the Year, complimenting his spot on the All-WAC First Team. Thomas led the team with a 72.14 scoring average while his best meet was the WAC Championship Tournament where he fired a season-low 211 (-5) and finished fourth.

LAST TIME OUT AT AN NCAA REGIONAL | NCAA Noblesville Regional | May 14-16, 2015
• NM State's best round of the 2015 NCAA Noblesville Regional in Noblesville, Ind., came on the final day of competition as the Aggies shot a collective 296 to finish 12th out of 14 teams.
• The Aggies' best finisher at the 7,173-yard, par 72 Sagamore Club course was junior Kenneth Fadke who fired a 73-76-75=224 to finish in a tie for 33rd place. Fadke finished at par on 43 holes during his three-day run - producing more pars than any other competitor in Noblesville during the regional.
• Brett Walker was the only other Aggie competitor to post a top-40 finish in Noblesville. The senior sat just one stroke behind Fadke by the time all was said and done, shooting 80-71-74=225 over the three-day event to finish in a tie for 39th place.

THE NEXT ROUND
• In order for the Aggies to move on to the 2021 NCAA Men's Golf finals at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., from Friday, May 28 through Tuesday, June 2, they will have to place among the five lowest-shooting teams following the three-day Albuquerque regional. It's also possible for a single Aggie golfer to make his way to Scottsdale if he winds up as the lowest-shooting individual not among the five lowest-shooting teams.

2021 NCAA Albuquerque Regional Schedule
Sunday, May 16 -- Practice Rounds (tee times starting at 9:00 a.m.)
Monday, May 17 -- First Round (tee times starting at 7:30 a.m.)
Tuesday, May 18 -- Second Round (tee times starting at 7:30 a.m.)
Wednesday, May 19 -- Third Round (tee times starting at 7:30 a.m.)

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Aggies are 12th seed in 14-team Albuquerque regional

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