Missouri Western senior women’s golfer Natalie Bird has been selected to participate in the 2013 NCAA Central Regional which will be played at the St. Joseph Country Club in St. Joseph, Mo. The event will start on Sunday, May 5 and conclude on Tuesday, May 7. Bird is the first ever women’s golfer to be selected to play in an NCAA Regional.

This past season Bird played in 10 events finishing with a stroke average of 80.9. She finished in the top five in three events and top ten in six events. She took first place at the Nebraska-Kearney Fall Classic back in September where she shot a 72 which was her lowest round of the season.

She finished in a tie for 7th at the MIAA Championships this past week shooting a 78. Individually, she looks to be in great position to be the first Griffon Women’s Golfer to qualify for the NCAA Tournament as she is currently ranked second individually in Super Region 3.

The NCAA Division II women’s golf super regional competition will be conducted May 5-7. Each super regional will consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently with nine teams and four individuals from non-qualifying teams at each site. All participants will compete throughout the 54 holes of competition. The top three teams along with the top three individuals not with a team from each super regional will advance to the championships.

The 2013 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships will be held May 15-18, at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The championships will consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently. All participants will compete throughout the entire 72 holes of competition. In the team competition, the low four scores for each team will count in each day’s total score. The number of participants that qualify for the finals is 72.

— MWSU Sports Information —