For the second time in four seasons, Florida Gulf Coast University men’s golf is headed to the NCAA Regionals.
The Eagles earned an at-large bid into the national postseason and will compete at the regional site in Amherst, Virginia, beginning Monday.
“The guys are excited. They’ve worked all year for this opportunity,” FGCU head coach Andrew Danna said. “Just consistent play, we’re all pumped.”
FGCU narrowly missed qualifying for regionals last season, finishing one spot short. That near miss has only fueled this year’s young team, which features a roster dominated by underclassmen.
“We were able to get in as an at-large, and the team is super excited and pumped to finally make it to regionals,” freshman Nolan Harper said.
“Missing the NCAA Regionals by one spot was very sad,” added sophomore Sebastian Gamboa. “I know we had a great team — but we made it this year.”
The Eagles finished third at the ASUN Championship and surged in the national rankings during the spring season after a slow fall start.
“We struggled a little bit in the fall, but we moved up … we had a great comeback during the spring,” Gamboa said.
FGCU enters the Amherst Regional as the No. 10 seed. National analysts have taken notice, calling Danna’s squad a potential sleeper to advance.
“From a coaching perspective, we keep it simple,” Danna said. “Stick to our same routine … and just go play.”
The Eagles will need a top-five finish in Amherst to advance to the NCAA Championship. Harper says the team’s mindset is clear: play freely and believe.
“We know what we're capable of,” he said. “And I think trying to go in there and think as if we have no expectations — kind of playing with nothing to lose.”
The Amherst regional runs May 12-14.