St. John's University Athletics
Men??' Golf Receives Bid To 2007 NCAA Championships
5/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
The St. John???s men???s golf team has received a bid to the 2007 NCAA Golf Championship and is headed to the East Regional in Alpharetta, Ga. The first round will tee off on Thursday, May 17.
???I???m very proud of our team that we have made it to this point in the season and I am hopeful that we will advance on to the finals,??? said junior co-captain Keegan Bradley. ???We???re extremely happy with the region that we were assigned and we???re thrilled to be able to play against the best teams in the country.???
Georgia Tech will serve as NCAA East Regional host at The Golf Club of Georgia. St. John???s is seeded 21st out of the 27 teams competing in the East Region and will take on the likes of Georgia, Florida, Duke, Penn State and Maryland, to name a few.
???We worked really hard over last summer and this fall and it has paid off because we have had an amazing spring,??? said junior co-captain George Zolotas. ???We???ve had one of the best seasons in school???s history and we were always focused on making it to the NCAA tournament. We???ve been playing a lot of great golf as a team and we???re ready to prove our selves on the national stage.???
The Red Storm men???s golf team will be making its first appearance at the NCAA Golf Championship since the 2001 squad earned a bid after taking three championship titles during its regular season. This year???s team has rewritten the record books with one of the most successful seasons in team history.
St. John???s is led by the captains, Bradley and Zolotas, who have led the team on the links all season. The duo led the Red Storm to three championship crowns this season, taking the Treasure Coast Classic (March 9), the Lacrosse Homes Intercollegiate (April 1), and the Princeton Invitational (April 15) titles. The Red Storm finished in the top five in all six of its spring events and 10 out of 12 tournaments for the year.
???I am incredibly proud of this group of guys,??? said head coach Frank Darby. ???I have seen firsthand how hard they work and I know they will be ready to go at regionals.???
Bradley alone has earned four individual championship titles and has posted 10 top 10 finishes, taking the titles at The Tillinghast (Oct. 17, 2006), the UTSA Invitational (Oct. 24, 2006), the Treasure Coast Classic (March 9) and the Lacrosse Home Intercollegiate (April 1).
Each of St. John???s starting five have made an appearance in the top 10 during the spring as Zolotas had six top 10 finishes, rookie Mike Ballo Jr. had three, sophomore Kevin Velardo had two and freshman Dan Mollicone had one. The team owns 61 sub-par rounds this season with Bradley and Zolotas leading the way at 21 and 15 rounds, respectively.
For a complete list of St. John???s competition in the East Region, please click here. To catch all the action live from the 2007 NCAA Championship, please visit www.GolfStat.com or www.NCAASports.com. For the most up-to-date information on the Red Storm Men???s golf team, please visit www.RedStormSports.com.
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