Little Rock Trojans women’s golf team learned on April 29 that they will compete in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, according to a team announcement. The selection was revealed during a watch party at the Ray Tucker Legends Club inside the Jack Stephens Center, where players and supporters gathered to view the Golf Channel’s NCAA Regional Selection Show.
The Trojans are set to play in a field of twelve teams at Seminole Legacy Golf Club from May 11-13. Other schools competing include Florida, Wake Forest, UCLA, Florida State, Kentucky, Clemson, Purdue, North Florida, ULM, Eastern Michigan and UTRGV. The top five teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships.
Head coach Jenna Birch said she was surprised by the team’s assignment. “We’ve been following kind of what everyone’s been predicting for the last two weeks, and Tallahassee was never mentioned,” Birch said. “So to actually see our name for Tallahassee was a little bit surprising.” Despite this unexpected placement, Birch added: “Florida’s a great state to play golf in. We played an event in Florida this year, and the grass is kind of similar to what we have here with the Bermuda… And the time zone change really isn’t that drastic.”
Birch also spoke about her approach this season: “As a coach, I made the decision that this would be the year we try to push this team… I was mentally and emotionally prepared to go through some ups and downs.” She explained her strategy with honesty: “I was very truthful and honest with the team… They knew we were going to go up against some of the best teams in the country… It was about preparing them for that so they didn’t get too down.” According to Birch: “We kind of analyzed it and found some opportunities to get that confidence ready to go… So when we went to conference they had that combination of being pushed all year and facing adversity.”
Junior Eleonore Aernouts expressed excitement ahead of postseason play: “It didn’t matter where we go; we’re glad to be playing,” she said. “We are excited and will be ready to play—it’s a great feeling.” Aernouts also commented on their prospects: “We’ve proven what we can do this season,” she said. “If we stay patient and play our game, we know we can compete with anyone in that field.” Coach Birch added perspective on competition: “With golf you’re playing against the course—and anything can happen on any given day.”
The Little Rock Trojans enter regional competition after winning two out of three recent Ohio Valley Conference championships including their most recent title performance.
