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Rice University Athletics
NCAA Bound! Men’s Golf Earns At-Large Bid to NCAA Athens Regional
5/6/2026 2:34:00 PM | Men's Golf
HOUSTON, Texas — The Rice Men's Golf team earned the No. 10 seed to the NCAA Athens Regional, scheduled for May 18-20, at University of Georgia Golf Course, hosted by Georgia in Athens, Ga.
The Owls are making their first trip to Regionals since 2014, and the eighth overall. They also earned their first at-large berth since 2010.
"This has been our goal all year," said Rice Men's Golf Head Coach Justin Emil. "From Day One, heading to Nationals is what we set out to do. This is just the next step for us. I'm excited for us to get back to work. It's a testament to the guys. They work really hard day in, day out. I'm grateful for this group and everything they do every day."
A total of 81 teams will compete at six regional locations, with the top five teams from each location advancing to the national finals at Omni La Costa Golf Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., from May 29-June 3.
The Owls earned four top three finishes this year, including back-to-back victories at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic and Trinity Forest Invitational.
Along with Athens, the other regionals include Bermuda Run, N.C., hosted by Wake Forest, Bryan, Texas, hosted by Texas A&M, Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Ohio State, Corvallis, Ore., hosted by Oregon State, and Marana, Ariz., hosted by Illinois.
Auburn earned the top seed of the 13 teams heading to Athens. Also participating in the regional will be No. 2 seed Illinois, No. 3 seed Vanderbilt, No. 4 seed BYU, No. 5 seed Georgia, No. 6 seed Louisville, No. 7 seed Kansas, No. 8 seed Northwestern, No. 9 seed College of Charleston, No. 11 seed Southern Miss, No. 12 seed and Ivy League champion Harvard and No. 13 seed and NEC champion Howard.
Additionally, 10 individuals will compete for one spot in the championship finals, including Malan Potgieter (Louisiana), Hugo Thyr (South Alabama), Max Bengtsson (Coastal Carolina), Drew Sykes (Coastal Carolina), Erik Olin (UAB), Matthew Lefevre (Stetson), Andrew Ferworn (North Alabama), Shaun Cook (Kennesaw State), Rasmus Ditzinger (Fairfield), and Vicente Rodriguez (Alabama A&M).
Charlotte (No. 4 seed, Corvallis, Ore.), South Florida (No. 9 seed, Columbus, Ohio) and Memphis (No. 10 seed, Columbus, Ohio) also earned bids to represent the American.
Of the Owls' 12 regional opponents, Rice has previously faced four of those teams this season with a combined 1-6 record.
The Owls are making their first trip to Regionals since 2014, and the eighth overall. They also earned their first at-large berth since 2010.
"This has been our goal all year," said Rice Men's Golf Head Coach Justin Emil. "From Day One, heading to Nationals is what we set out to do. This is just the next step for us. I'm excited for us to get back to work. It's a testament to the guys. They work really hard day in, day out. I'm grateful for this group and everything they do every day."
A total of 81 teams will compete at six regional locations, with the top five teams from each location advancing to the national finals at Omni La Costa Golf Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., from May 29-June 3.
The Owls earned four top three finishes this year, including back-to-back victories at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic and Trinity Forest Invitational.
Along with Athens, the other regionals include Bermuda Run, N.C., hosted by Wake Forest, Bryan, Texas, hosted by Texas A&M, Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Ohio State, Corvallis, Ore., hosted by Oregon State, and Marana, Ariz., hosted by Illinois.
Auburn earned the top seed of the 13 teams heading to Athens. Also participating in the regional will be No. 2 seed Illinois, No. 3 seed Vanderbilt, No. 4 seed BYU, No. 5 seed Georgia, No. 6 seed Louisville, No. 7 seed Kansas, No. 8 seed Northwestern, No. 9 seed College of Charleston, No. 11 seed Southern Miss, No. 12 seed and Ivy League champion Harvard and No. 13 seed and NEC champion Howard.
Additionally, 10 individuals will compete for one spot in the championship finals, including Malan Potgieter (Louisiana), Hugo Thyr (South Alabama), Max Bengtsson (Coastal Carolina), Drew Sykes (Coastal Carolina), Erik Olin (UAB), Matthew Lefevre (Stetson), Andrew Ferworn (North Alabama), Shaun Cook (Kennesaw State), Rasmus Ditzinger (Fairfield), and Vicente Rodriguez (Alabama A&M).
Charlotte (No. 4 seed, Corvallis, Ore.), South Florida (No. 9 seed, Columbus, Ohio) and Memphis (No. 10 seed, Columbus, Ohio) also earned bids to represent the American.
Of the Owls' 12 regional opponents, Rice has previously faced four of those teams this season with a combined 1-6 record.
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