WHAT TO KNOW

• Following a victory at the Big Sky Championship in Arizona, the Sacramento State men's golf team will continue its year at the NCAA Stanford Regional on May 13-15 at Stanford Golf Course. The 14-team tournament will have single rounds each day with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Championships which will take place May 24–29 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
• The Hornets will be paired with Sienna and the five individuals during the first round. The threesomes will tee off the 10th tee beginning at 9:55 a.m. and continuing every 11 minutes. Sacramento State last played a tournament at the Stanford GC in the 2017 NCAA Stanford Regional.
• Sacramento State earned the automatic berth from the Big Sky Conference after recording a three-shot win at the conference tournament in Litchfield Park, Ariz., on Apr. 23-25. The Hornets led after all three rounds and here helped by a 7-under par round of 271 in the first round to get off to a strong start. Gabriel Smith tied for second place at 4-under par and Jeffrey Perry tied for fifth (1-under) to lead the way. As a team, Sacramento State counted seven rounds of par or better during the three days including a 67 from Jake Aberle, a 68 from Perry and a 69 from Smith.
• The Hornets are 0-4 against teams in the field this season. Three of those four losses have come against Fresno State as the Bulldogs defeated Sacramento State at the Nick Watney Invitational, Visit Stockton Pacific Invite and the El Macero Classic. The Hornets also faced Liberty at the Ka'anapali Collegiate in Hawaii where the Flames finished in third place overall.

IF IT'S NOT BROKE

• As expected, Sacramento State will use the same lineup for the third consecutive tournament. Luke Dugger will play at No. 1 and will be followed by Gabriel Smith, Zach Mate, Jeffrey Perry and Jake Aberle. The quintet will tee off in reverse order beginning with Aberle at 9:55 a.m.
• Sacramento State has used a variety of lineups this season, competing seven players in the top five and two others have played as individuals. Dugger and Mate are the only two members of the team to compete in all 11 tournaments. Smith and Perry are close behind with each making 10 appearances.

REGIONAL RECAP

• This year will mark the fourth time that Sacramento State has qualified as a team for an NCAA Div. I Men's Golf Regional. The team made its first appearance in 2012 at the NCAA Norman Regional in Oklahoma. That year, Sacramento State placed 11th out of 14 teams and was led by Grant Rappleye and Jake Johnson who tied for 35th place at 10-over.
• In 2017, the team played at the NCAA Stanford Regional where it placed 12th of 13 teams. Robert Parden had the low score for the team at 11-over.
• Sacramento State returned to the postseason in 2021 at the NCAA Cle Elum Regional in Washington. The Hornets were 8-over during the first round but were then forced to withdraw from the tournament following a positive COVID-19 test. Jonathan Tanihana was 1-under during the round to lead the way.
• Along with the three team appearances, Sacramento State has had individual entries in four other seasons. That list includes Casey Leebrick who competed in the Bay Area last year at the NCAA Morgan Hill Regional.
• None of the players on the Hornets' 2023-24 roster have competed in the NCAA Div. I postseason before. However, Dugger played for Holy Names last season at the NCAA Div. II West Regional where he tied for 22nd place after shooting 74-73-71-218. Dugger also qualified for the NCAA DIv. II West Regional as an individual in 2021-22 where he tied for 20th at 71-74-67-212.

BIG SKY HONOR ROLL

• Three Sacramento State golfers earned all-Big Sky honors during the year. The group was headlined by Mate and Dugger who were named to the first team while Smith earned honorable mention accolades.
• Mate led the team with a scoring average of 72.41 this season, currently ranks 10th in school single-season history with 16 rounds even or below par and is tied for fourth with seven rounds in the 60s.
• Dugger averaged 72.87 per round and was twice named the Big Sky Men's Golfer of the Week. Dugger tied for second at the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational during the fall for his best finish.
• Smith averaged 73.37 He had 11 rounds at or below par and concluded the year with a pair of top 20 finishes.
• Kamden Brakel was also named the Big Sky Coach of the Year.