West Georgia Athletics

Birmingham, AL-Twelve men's and eight women's teams will journey to the Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, AR for the 2010 Gulf South Conference Golf Championships, April 18-20.
                The women tee the ball up first, with the First Round (18 holes) of their two-day, 36-hole Championship at 9:00 am on Sunday, April 18, followed by the final 18 holes at 10:00 am Monday morning.  The men start their 54-hole event with 36 holes at 8:00 am on Monday, culminating in the 18-hole Final Round on Tuesday, April 20.

WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT PREVIEW:
                West Florida enters the 2010 GSC Championship as the favorite after capturing four consecutive Titles.  UWF is ranked No. 22 in the NGCA Top 25 (tied) and in the Golfstat Head-to-Head Standings, and is No. 10 in the NCAA South Regional.  West Georgia leads the pack of teams seeking to halt the Argonauts' streak.  UWG is No. 51 in the Golfstat rankings, followed by No. 59 Harding, No. 78 Henderson State and No. 80 Arkansas Tech.  Arkansas-Monticello, Christian Brothers and Southern Arkansas complete the field. 
    The Wolves are coming off of two impressive performances to close out the regular season, finishing first as a team at the Reeder Cup two weeks ago and second at the Huntingdon Hawk Invitational on Tuesday. 
    Freshman Lauren Giambastiani was the top UWG finisher at each tournament, finishing fourth at the Reeder Cup and fifth at the Hawk Invitational. In both tournaments, she was very strong on the second day to claim the top-five finishes. If Giambastiani can come out of the gate solid on Sunday, she could make a run at Freshman of the Year. 
    Giambastiani will join Erynn Stewart, Jordan Pence and co-captains Michelle Meher and Sarah Ross in Hot Springs, Ark., on Sunday.

MEN'S TOURNAMENT PREVIEW:
                Some of the top men's teams in Division II will tee off on Monday at the Hot Springs Country Club.  Defending champion North Alabama seeks to defend its crown after hoisting its first-ever trophy last year.  UNA enters as the highest ranked squad, coming in at No. 3 in the NCAA South Region and No. 5 in the Golf World/NIKE Top 25 and the Golfstat Head-To-Head standings.
                Valdosta State and West Florida are the top contenders to dethrone the Lions.  VSU is ranked No. 4 in the region, No. 13 in the national poll and No. 18 in Golfstat, while UWF is No. 5 in the region, No. 11 in the nation and No. 14 in Golfstat.  Arkansas Tech cannot be overlooked either, placing 10^th in the region, 43^rd in Golfstat and also receiving one vote in the national poll.
                Other top challengers include Delta State and West Georgia, which are No. 50 and No. 58 in Golfstat, respectively.  Four other squads also enter the post-season in the Golfstat Standings: Harding (No. 108), Henderson State (No. 109) and Christian Brothers (No. 170).  Completing the field are Arkansas-Monticello, Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas. 
    The West Georgia men have had an up-and-down spring, but had two individuals finish the regular season with solid rounds. At the UWG Invitational, Zach Lassetter had one of the only rounds in the red on the final day to finish in second place, his lowest finish of the year. Senior Ryan Chitwood equalled that finish at the Callaway Collegiate, closing out the tournament in second place. 
    Chitwood will try to avenge his 12th-place finish from the 2009 GSC Championships, where he fell from sixth place to 12th in the final round.

PAST GSC CHAMPIONS