The Gulf South Conference Champions and 20th-ranked Lee women's golf team is set to host the NCAA South Regional at the Cleveland Country Club on May 6-8 the NCAA Division II Women's Golf Committee announced this week.

The Lady Flames are hosting one of four regional tournaments which will consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently with 12 teams and 6 individuals from non-qualifying teams at each site. All participants will compete through the 54 holes of competition. The top four teams along with the top four individuals not with an advancing team from each super regional will advance to the championships. 

The South Regional is arguably the toughest of all four regional sites. Included in the field of 12 teams are 11 ranked in the top 21 nationally.  The nation's top team Barry leads the way followed by No. 3 Nova Southeastern, No. 7 Lynn, No. 5 Florida Tech, No. 17 Saint Leo, No. 11 Limestone, No. 13 Florida Southern, No. 19 Tampa, No. 12 Rollins, No. 20 Lee, No. 21 Flagler and Anderson. Lynn (Sunshine State), Limestone (Conference Carolinas), Lee (Gulf South), Flagler (Peach Belt) and Anderson (South Atlantic) earned automatic bids as conference champions.

The six individuals selected from non-qualifying teams are Warissa Paungcharoen of Wingate, Franzika Bremm of West Georgia, Lisa Malherbe of Lincoln Memorial, Abbey Hartsell of Lenoir-Ryne, Maeve Cummins of Carson-Newman and Solange Gomez of West Florida. 

"Well needless to say we couldn't be more excited about having the opportunity to host NCAA Regionals.  This is a big deal to our program, and I also think it's a big deal to our community.  Cleveland Country Club has been so supportive of our programs, and we're looking forward to showcasing our home course.  I think this will be a great experience for all the teams involved," said Lee head coach and GSC coach of the Year, John Maupin.  "The conference win was really big for our team.  We saw every player on our team step up and provide a lift during the week.  We've talked all year about peaking at the right time, and wanting to play our best golf down the stretch.  Our focus is just on preparing as well as we possibly can, and enjoying the opportunity to compete at home."

The Cleveland Country Club provides the perfect backdrop for the South Regional Championship. The course, under the direction of Lamar Mills (General Manager/Head Golf Professional), has hosted several premiere USGA, college and amateur events over the years. The course will play as a par 72 and will be 5,957 yards in length.

"We are honored and excited to host the 2019 Division II Women's Super Regionals. We have been looking forward to this week for over year and half. Our Board, Membership, and Staff have gone to great lengths to make this a special championship. It is also special a week as well to be able to support our home team of the Lady Flames. I encourage everyone in our community to come out and watch some high caliber golf next week," said Mills.
 
The Lady Flames advanced to regionals for the fourth straight year in large part to the play of junior Haverly Harrold, who finished second at the GSC Championship and was a first team selection for the second straight season. Harrold, Lee's top ranked player at No. 53 in nation, was quick to point out her excitement about hosting regionals on her home course, "the team and I are very excited about regionals and are looking forward to representing ourselves on our home turf and being able to be surrounded by the support of the community and the school.  I know that all of us have been working hard all season and are ready for this moment and I have so much confidence that at the end of the day each member of this team is going to give their all every single day for the team and that is what makes us special."

Coach Maupin will also look for veteran leadership from juniors Annika Gino and Judianne Speach. Gino, a GSC First Team selection this season, is no stranger to the big stage as she was a member of the 2017 team as a freshman that advanced to the National Championship after winning a playoff in the regional tournament. Speach was named second team all-conference this year while freshmen Emily Felix (GSC First Team/GSC All-Tournament) and Carson McKie (GSC Second Team) will also be key components to the lineup for coach Maupin. 

Other players to keep an eye on are Tilda Larsson of Barry. The senior is ranked No. 1 in D2 by Golfstat. Kiira Riihijarvi (Tampa) is ranked second followed by Seher Atwal of Rollins in fourth and Helen Kruezer of Lynn in sixth. A pair of Nova Southeastern teammates will give the field six of the top 10 players in the country according to Golfstat with Sophia Garcia Austt and Sophie Madden ranking ninth and 10th. 

The National Championship will be held May 14-18 at PGA National Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, Florida. The number of participants that qualify for the finals is 96.