(From Illinois Sports Information Office)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini men's golf program's hunt for a national title will begin at the NCAA Urbana Regional at Atkins Golf Club, where the Orange and Blue will host 13 programs and 10 individuals, May 12-14, competing for a spot in the field at the 2025 NCAA Championship.

The 14th-ranked Fighting Illini will be the region's No. 3 seed and will be joined by: No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 23 Texas Tech, No. 26 Long Beach State, No. 35 UNLV, No. 38 Houston, No. 47 Marquette, No. 51 Troy, No. 60 Pacific, No. 64 NC State, No. 136 Illinois State, and No. 163 Wright State.

The 10 individual competitors in the field are: Hunter Thomson (Michigan), Jack Schoenberger (Kentucky), Paul Beauvy (Iowa State), Patton Samuels (Austin Peay), Anthony Delisanti (Valparaiso), Clay Merchant (Indiana), Ryan Ford (Cincinnati), Ben Cors (Dayton), Titus Boswell (IU Indianapolis), and Trey Wall (Murray State).

The low five teams and low individual not on a qualifying team from each of the six NCAA regional sites will advance to compete at the NCAA Championship on the North Course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., May 23-28.

Illinois has now qualified for each of the last 17 NCAA regionals and will make its 20th appearance under head coach Mike Small who is now in his 25^th season leading his alma mater. Small has guided the program to six NCAA regional titles, tied for fourth among all head coaches in NCAA history and third among active head coaches. Last season, the Illini captured the championship at the NCAA Stanford Regional behind a medalist performance from Max Herendeen.

Illinois is in search of the program's 16th NCAA Championship berth in the last 17 tournaments dating back to 2008. Last season, the Illini followed their win at Stanford by finishing first in stroke play at La Costa and advancing to the program's ninth NCAA Match Play, tied with Oklahoma State for the most in the nation since the format began in 2009.

The other five regional sites are: Auburn (Auburn University Club; Auburn, Alabama), Florida State (Seminole Legacy Golf Club; Tallahassee, Florida), Liberty (Poplar Grove Golf Course; Amherst, Virginia), Nevada (Montreux Golf Club; Reno, Nevada), and Washington (Gold Mountain Golf Club; Bremerton, Washington).