May 10, 2005

WEST POINT, N.Y. - The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Selection Committee announced Monday evening that the Army golf team is one of 27 teams traveling to Nashville, Tenn., May 19-21 to compete in the 2005 NCAA East Regional hosted by the Southeastern Conference at the Golf Club of Tennessee. Army will participate in the East Regional for the eighth time in nine post-season trips.

Joining the Black Knights in the East Regional are Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Duke, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Georgia Southern, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia State, Coastal Carolina, East Tennessee State, Indiana, Central Florida, North Carolina, Louisville, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Charlotte, Penn State, North Carolina-Wilmington, Towson, Rhode Island, Rutgers, Maryland and Boston College.

In addition, six individuals not on teams qualifying for the regional will be traveling to each of the three sites. Those individual qualifiers heading to Nashville are Jordan Dempsey of Mississippi, Rob Langley of Furman, Michael Thompson and Chris Wheeler of Tulane, Robert Dinwiddie of Tennessee State and Joe Deraney of Mississippi State.

Georgia is the top-seeded team in the East Regional and tied for 11th at the NCAA Championship a year ago. Army also drew Georgia Tech and Florida in the East Regional as both teams placed in the top six at the 2004 NCAA Championship.

Of the 26 other teams competing with the Black Knights in Nashville, Army has faced five of them already this season. The Black Knights competed in tournaments hosted by both Towson and Rhode Island during the spring campaign. Army finished five strokes back of East Regional participant Rutgers and 19 strokes behind the runner-up Tigers at the Drew Upton/Towson Classic in Salisbury, Md.

Most recently, the Black Knights were one of 12 teams participating in the URI Spring Invitational in Portsmouth, R.I., April 30 and May 1, and sat seven strokes behind the first-place Rams in the final standings.

Army also teamed with Penn State at the FirstEnergy Intercollegiate Tournament in Akron last month. The Nittany Lions took third place in the 15-team event while the Black Knights finished 14th. Lastly, back in the fall, Army squared off against Boston College at the Blue Devil Fall Invitational hosted by Central Connecticut. The Black Knights won the tournament title in New Britain, Conn., and outdistanced the fourth-place Eagles by 11 strokes.

Making their third appearance in the NCAA Regional in the past four years, the Black Knights will attempt to improve on their 23rd place showing at the 2004 East Regional in New Haven, Conn. All five members of the 2004 regional squad return to the links this season, but two golfers (senior Mark Erwin, junior D.J. Reeves) have been hampered by injuries and are not expected to compete.

Senior captain Scott Manley leads the Black Knight contingent having posted Army's top individual finish at both the 2002 (T108th) and 2004 (T54th) regionals. After carding back-to-back 76s in the first two rounds at the Yale Golf Course in 2004, Manley capped the three-day tournament with an even-par 70 to finish at 222. He owns a 77.5 stroke average this spring and has posted three top 20 finishes. An All-Patriot League first team selection, Manley tied for fourth at the 2005 Patriot League Championship in leading the Black Knights to their ninth team title and third in the last four years.

Another senior, Pete Phipps, also garnered All-Patriot League first team accolades after tying with teammate Manley for fourth place at the conference championship. Phipps carded a career-low 69 in the second round en route to his 54-hole score of 214. In all, Army placed five golfers on the all-conference first and second teams. Junior Austin Luher and freshmen Patrick Beverly and Joey Cave all placed in the top 10 and earned all-league second team status.

Not only did the Black Knights take home their ninth conference crown, but Army also captured a second tournament title by winning the seven-team Fairfield Spring Break Invitational. Most recently, the Black Knights charted a third-place showing at the rain-shortened Rhode Island Spring Invitational.

Beverly sports the lowest stroke average on the squad at 77.4 and is one of two golfers (Luher) to appear in all seven spring tournaments. The Patriot League "Golfer of the Month" for March, Beverly has placed in the top 20 eight times in his rookie campaign.

The top 10 teams and the top two individuals not on those qualifying teams will advance to the NCAA Championship, which will take place June 1-4 at the Caves Valley Golf Course in Owings Mills, Md.