Back by popular demand, the Fab Five returns with the NCAA postseason so close you can read its license plate.

FAB FIVE
My look at the top five teams in the country right now

MEN
1. Georgia (Last time: 1)
The Bulldogs broke par each of the three rounds at Frederica GC en route to their SEC title. No player finished worse than 15th as the team earned its fifth team title of the 2008-09 season. This is the depth you want to see heading into regionals.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 14-16

2. Oklahoma State (2)
Closing 68-66 at Big 12 Championship suggests Morgan Hoffmann's issues finishing up tournaments have been rectified. The Cowboys' team title at Prairie Dunes was helped by Peter Uihlein(two top-10s in last two starts) sudden emergence in Stillwater.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 14-16

3. Washington (5)
The Huskies handled the pressure of playing Pac-10s at home and the expectations that come with that, by walking off with the title by 18 strokes. With medalist Darren Wallace and Tze Huang Choo stepping up to assist Nick Taylor and Richard Lee, UW is no longer a dark horse but a flat out contender for the NCAA title.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 14-16

4. Clemson (3)
The Tigers have broken par in five of their last six rounds, which is encouraging this time of the year. Their three-shot loss to Georgia Tech at the ACC Championship two weeks ago is disappointing but hasn't totally killed their momentum after winning the U.S. Collegiate earlier in the month.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 14-16

5. Georgia Tech (NR)
The Yellow Jackets love Old North State Club, winning their third ACC title there in four years. Time now to see if the win was an example of courses for horses or if Cameron Tringale, Chesson Hadley, John-Tyler Griffin and James White are starting to hit their strides at just the right time.
Next event: NCAA Regionals, Site TBD, May 14-16

WOMEN
1. Arizona State (2)
Pac-10 triumph evens the Sun Devils head-to-head record with UCLA at 3-3 but I give extra credit for the victory in the conference championship. Three ASU players in the top five individually bodes well for the squad, particularly with Carlota Ciganda winning her first tournament.
Next event: NCAA West Regional, Karsten Course at Arizona State, Tempe, Ariz., May 7-9

2. UCLA (1)
With a sixth-place finish at Ping/ASU followed by a third-place showing at Pac-10s, the Bruins are moving in the wrong direction. Still, there is too much talent on this team to think they can't turn things around in the next few weeks.
Next event: NCAA Central Regional, Scarlet Course at Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio, May 7-9

3. Purdue (3)
Home cooking might have helped in the dominant performance at the Big Ten Championship, but the Boilermakers haven't finished worse than second in their last three starts. With three straight victories, senior Maria Hernandez can control the national player of the year race with her play at regionals and nationals.
Next event: NCAA Central Regional, Scarlet Course at Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio, May 7-9

4. Oklahoma State (5)
The Cowgirls placed all five players in the top 15 while winning their seventh Big 12 title in school history. Nervous about injuries continues, but has become offset by the excitement of having five quality starters with a lot of confidence.
Next event: NCAA Central Regional, Scarlet Course at Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio, May 7-9

5. USC (4)
Runner-up at Pac-10s is the eighth top-five finish in nine starts for the defending NCAA champs. Perhaps they don't have the positive vibes they did a year ago, but their team scoring average is actually better this season (despite having no wins) than a year ago.
Next event: NCAA West Regional, Karsten Course at Arizona State, Tempe, Ariz., May 7-9

Down to the final four men's conference championships ... NCAA men's D-I golf committee picks teams for regionals next Monday.

MEN
Mid-American Conference Championship
  (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Brickyard Crossing GC
Indianapolis
April 30-May 2
Field: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green State, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo
Defending champion: Eastern Michigan (19-over 1,171) by one stroke over Kent State; Toledo's Ciaran McAleavey (two-under 286) by one stroke over Eastern Michigan's Peter Sauerbrei
Skinny: Eastern Michigan is trying to become just the second program to win the MAC title three straight years. Unfortunately, the other program to do that--Kent State--will likely keep the Eagles from threepeating.

Mountain West Championship
  (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Omni Tucson National
Tucson
April 30-May 2
Field: Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Utah, Wyoming
Defending champion: Colorado State (two-under 850) by four strokes over TCU; UNLV's Eddie Olson (four-under 209) by three strokes over three players
Skinny: You could argue Colorado State's victory last spring was a bit of a surprise, but with five tournament titles in 2008-09, the Rams have the depth to win it again. Problem is they've got tougher competition this year, with TCU looking like its ready to claim its first MWC title.

Big Ten Championship
  (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Penn State University GC
University Park, Pa.
May 1-3
Field: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Defending champion: Michigan State (21-over 1,173) by four strokes over Minnesota; Indiana's Jorge Campillo (10-under 278) by two strokes over Ryan Brehm
Skinny: Front-runners Illinois and Indiana haven't won the conference title since 1988 and 1998, respectively. Meanwhile, don't sleep on host Penn State, which is trying for its first Big Ten title, and two-time defending champion Michigan State.
Conference head-to-head records:
Illinois, 22-5, .814
Indiana, 14-8, .636
Northwestern, 15-9-2, .615
Ohio State, 7-5, .583
Michigan, 14-12, .538
Penn State, 10-11, .476
Michigan State, 8-9-2, .473
Minnesota, 7-8-2, .470
Iowa, 10-12, .454
Wisconsin, 6-16, .272
Purdue, 3-21, .125

Northeast Championship
ChampionsGate GC
ChampionsGate, Fla.
May 1-3
Field: Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU-Brooklyn, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (N.Y.), St. Francis (Pa.), Wagner
Defending champion: Sacred Heart (six-over 870) by 23 strokes over LIU-Brooklyn; Monmouth's Anthony Campanile (four-under 212) by one stroke over Sacred Heart's Patrick Fillian
Skinny: There have been five different conference winners in the past five years, although that streak will likely end this year as Sacred Heart looks like it has a good shot at winning for a second straight year.

Newly crowned Pac-10 champion Arizona State, UCLA and Virginia, three of the top five teams in the latest Golf World/NGCA coaches’ poll, earned the three top seeds as the NCAA Division I women’s golf committee announced April 27 the 63 teams and nine individuals to play in the three regional tournaments, set for May 7-9.

Defending NCAA champ USC earned the No. 2 seed in the West Regional.

The low eight teams from each regional and the low two individuals not on those teams, advance to the 28th NCAA Championship at Caves Valley GC near Baltimore, May 19-22.

EAST REGIONAL
Mark Bostick GC at Univ. of Florida
Gainesville, Fla.
Teams (By Seed)
Virginia, Auburn (SEC champion), Alabama, North Carolina, Duke, Denver (Sun Belt), Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tulane (Conference USA), Florida, East Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, Furman (Southern), Charleston, Florida State, UCF, Coastal Carolina (Big South), Stetson (Atlantic Sun), Jackson State (SWAC)
Individuals
Susannah Aboff, Princeton
Julia Potter, Missouri
Jessica Hollandsworth, Maryland

CENTRAL REGIONAL
Scarlet Course at Ohio State
Columbus, Ohio
Teams (By Seed)
UCLA, Oklahoma State (Big 12), Purdue (Big Ten), Wake Forest (ACC), Louisville (Big East), Kent State (Mid-American), Michigan State, Ohio State, Stanford, New Mexico (Mountain West), Georgia State (Colonial AA), Notre Dame, N.C. State, Washington, Kentucky, Chattanooga, Michigan, Murray State (Ohio Valley), Illinois State (Missouri Valley), Harvard (Ivy League), Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast)
Individuals
Kendall Dye, Oklahoma
Kayla Mortellaro, Idaho
Sara Wikstrom, Arkansas-Little Rock

WEST REGIONAL
Karsten Course at Arizona State
Tempe, Ariz.
Teams (By Seed)
Arizona State (Pac-10), USC, LSU, Pepperdine, Arkansas, San Jose State (WAC), Arizona, California, UC Irvine, San Francisco, UNLV, TCU, Texas A&M, Oregon, Long Beach State (big West), Colorado, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland), Northern Arizona (Big Sky), Oral Roberts (Summit)
Individuals
Miki Ueoka, Santa Clara
Chelsea Stelzmiller, UC Davis
Alice Kim, UC Davis

MEN
Horizon League Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Kearney Hills GL
Lexington, Ky.
April 27-28
Field: Butler, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Loyola (Ill.), Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wright State, Youngstown State
Defending champion: Cleveland State (28-over 892) by one stroke over Detroit Mercy; Cleveland State's Jacob Scott (two-under 214) by two strokes over Butler's Kyle Thomas
Skinny: For the past four seasons, Cleveland State and Detroit have traded the league crown back and forth, hinting that this is Detroit Mercy's year to walk off with the title. The Vikings' Jake Scott, however, will keep the title in Ohio and claim medalist honors for himself.

Missouri Valley Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Delhousie GC
Cape Girardeau, Mo.
April 27-28
Field: Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Wichita State
Defending champion: Wichita State (two-under 850) by 24 strokes over Southern Illinois; Wichita State's Connor McHenry (five-under 208) by four strokes over Wichita State's Dustin Garza
Skinny: Illinois State is the favorie in the pre-championship poll but don't be shocked to see  Wichita State  make it eight MVC titles in the last 11 years.

Big 12 Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Prairie Dunes CC
Hutchinson, Kan.
April 27-29
Field: Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Defending champion: Oklahoma State (11-under 1,141) by 20 strokes over Texas; Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler (nine-under 279) by four strokes over Oklahoma State's Kevin Tway
Skinny: Only five schools have won the title in the conferences 12-year history. Oklahoma State looks likely not to let that change, but Texas A&M isn't a bad dark horse pick should the Cowboys stumble.
Conference head-to-head records:
Oklahoma State, 15-1, .937
Kansas State, 10-1, .909
Colorado, 8-2, .800
Texas Tech, 14-7, .667
Texas A&M, 11-7, .611
Texas, 7-7, .500
Baylor, 7-12, .368
Iowa State, 4-9, .307
Kansas, 5-13, .277
Oklahoma, 3-11, .214
Missouri, 1-6, .142
Nebraska, 0-8, .000

Ohio Valley Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
The Shoals on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Muscle Shoals, Ala.
April 27-29
Field: Austin Peay State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT-Martin
Defending champion: Eastern Kentucky (10-over 874) by 19 strokes over Murray State; Murray State's Nick Newcomb (even-par 216) by one stroke over Austin Peay State's Grant Leaver and Eastern Kentucky's Phillip Hendrickson
Skinny: Eastern Kentucky has won two of the past three years and at No. 94 has the best Golfstat ranking of all conference teams

Pac-10 Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Seattle CC
Seattle, Wash.
April 27-29
Field: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
Defending champion: Arizona State (15-over 1,435) in playoff over USC; Arizona's Creighton Honeck (three-under 281) in playoff with UCLA's Kevin Chappell
Skinny: Washington is the hot squad, with three wins this spring and four in 2008-09, plus UW has the advantage of playing near home. If the Huskies win it would be just their third conference title in 21 years.
Conference head-to-head records:
USC, 28-6, .823
Stanford, 26-8, .764
Washington, 25-10-1, .708
UCLA, 17-15-1, .530
Arizona State, 13-13-1, .500
Oregon, 13-16, .448
California, 14-19, .424
Arizona, 6-11, .352
Oregon State, 5-21, .192
Washington State, 2-16, .111

Southland Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Comanche Trace GC
Kerrville, Texas
April 27-29
Field: Central Arkansas, Lamar, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, State, Texas State, UT-Arlington, UT-San Antonio
Defending champion: Lamar (two-over 866) by 28 strokes over Sam Houston State and Texas State; Sam Houston State's Scott Kelly (one-under 215) in playoff over McNeese State's Sigmundur Masson
Skinny: The rest of the conference is facing a challenge in trying to keep Lamar from claiming fourth straight title. The Cardinals are trying to become just the second team to be Southland champions four straight years (Lamar 10 straight from  1964-73).

Summit League Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Oakwood CC
Kansas City, Mo.
April 27-29
Field: Centernary, IPFW, IUPUI, North Dakota State, Oakland, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State, Southern Utah, UM-Kansas City, Western Illinois
Defending champion: Western Illinois (six-over 870) by 10 strokes over UM-Kansas City; Western Illinois'  Kyle Peterman (even-par 216) in playoff over Southern Utah's Nate Page
Skinny: South Dakota State, eligible for postseason play for the first time after completing the transition to Division I, could make for the next great Cinderella story with a victory at the conference championship in just the second year in the Summit League. Five tournament wins this season for the Jackrabbits suggest it's a realistic outcome.

WAC Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Rio Secco GC
Henderson, Nev.
April 27-29
Field: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Utah State
Defending champion: New Mexico State (27-over 891) by five strokes over Boise State; Boise State's Troy Merritt (seven-under 209) by 10 strokes over Fresno State's Grant Doverspike
Skinny: Fresno State (No. 75) and Nevada (78) have better Golfstat rankings than defending champion New Mexico State (90), suggesting a three-team fight.

The NCAA D-I Women's Committee makes its selections for regionals on Monday (men's selections are set for May 4). An updated list of conference winners thus far is below. Meanwhile, here's a link to a story I wrote yesterday for the website about how the conference championship season helps give unheralded programs a real chance to make their mark.

MEN
Atlantic 10 Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Mission Inn Resort
Howie-in-the-Hills, Fla.
April 24-26
Field: Charlotte, Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, Temple, Xavier
Defending champion: Charlotte (27-under 837) by 23 strokes over Dayton; Dayton's Rob Chappell (11-under 205) by one stroke over Charlotte's Corey Nagy
Skinny: Charlotte is trying to become the first four-time repeat A-10 champion since Penn State did it in 1986-91, but the 49ers should find some competition from Xavier.

Ivy League Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Atlantic City CC
Northfield, N.J.
April 24-26
Field: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale
Defending champion: Columbia (48-over 900) by nine strokes over Yale; Penn's Michael Blodgett (five-over 218) by three strokes over Brown's Larry Haertel
Skinny: It's been five years since Yale last won the title, but the Bulldogs appear to be the favorites.

MAAC Championship
Celebration GC
Celebration, Fla.
April 24-26
Field: Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Loyola, Manhattan, Niagara, Rider, St. Peter's, Siena
Defending champion: Loyola (15-over 879) by 14 strokes over Rider; Loyola's Michael Mulieri (five-under 211) by six strokes over Rider's Tyler Brewington
Skinny: Loyola remains the class of the conference.

Patriot League Championship
West Point GC
West Point, N.Y.
April 25-26
Field: Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Navy
Defending champion: Navy (61-over 925) by 17 strokes over Bucknell; Navy's Erich Schoen (seven-over 223) by two strokes over Colgate's Richard Hayes
Skinny: Bucknell is the preseason favorite and Navy is the defending champion, but Army claimed the title the last time it hosted the championship in 2002.

WOMEN
Ohio Valley Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Crooked Creek GC
London, Ky.
April 23-25
Field: Austin Peay State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech
Defending champion: Jacksonville State (70-over 934) by 21 strokes over Murray State; Jacksonville State's Laura Cutler (14-over 230) by one stroke over Jacksonville State's Mercedes Huarte
Skinny: It would appear Jacksonville State's run of four-straight OVC titles will end this season as Murray State (130), Tennessee Tech (144) and Morehead State (153) all have better Golfstat rankings than the Gamecocks (168) entering the championship.

Big Ten Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Kampen Course
West Lafayette, Ind.
April 24-26
Field: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Defending champion: Purdue (17-over 1,169) by 24 strokes over Michigan State; Purdue's Maria Hernandez (seven-under 281) by 10 strokes over Purdue's Christel Boeljon
Skinny: Purdue would have been the prohibitive favorite even without the home course advantage it's getting from playing at the Kampen Course. Look for the Boilermakers to win their third Big Ten title in four years and Hernandez to claim a second straight individual win.
Conference head-to-head records:
Purdue, 21-0, 1.000
Michigan State, 23-7, .766
Ohio State, 19-9, .678
Indiana, 23-12, .657
Michigan, 22-16, .578
Minnesota, 18-22, .450
Wisconsin, 16-21, .432
Northwestern, 16-23, .410
Iowa, 9-25, .264
Illinois, 9-27, .250
Penn State, 6-20, .230

Big 12 Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Rawls Course
Lubbock, Texas
April 24-26
Field: Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Defending champion: Oklahoma State (48-over 912) by 27 strokes over Texas A&M; Oklahoma State's Jaclyn Sweeney (nine-over 225) by four strokes over Oklahoma State's Karin Kinnerud
Skinny: Oklahoma State is the only conference team ranked inside to top 35 by Golfstat. Provided none of the Cowgirls starting five is hurt (or gets injured), look for the Stillwater squad to repeat.
Conference head-to-head records:
Oklahoma State, 8-0, 1.000
Baylor, 18-5, .782
Colorado, 16-7-1, .687
Nebraska, 15-11, .576
Texas A&M, 4-3, .571
Texas Tech, 15-12-2, .551
Oklahoma, 12-12, .500
Texas, 7-8, .466
Iowa State, 12-14, .461
Missouri, 11-13-1, .460
Kansas, 6-14-1, .309
Kansas State, 2-28-1, .080

Ivy League Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Atlantic City CC
Northfield, N.J.
April 24-26
Field: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale
Defending champion: Harvard (26-over 890) by 10 strokes over Columbia; Princeton's Susannah Aboff (nine-under 207) by 11 strokes over Harvard's Emily Balmert
Skinny: Harvard won its first six tournaments of the season until finishing second at the Roar-ee Invitational earlier this month. I don't know ... I think I like the Crimson in this spot.

Mid-American Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Longaberger GC
Longaberger, Ohio
April 24-26
Field: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Defending champion: Kent State (25-over 1,177) by 51 strokes over Eastern Michigan; Kent State's Kirby Dreher (three-over 291) by three strokes over Kent State's Tara Delaney
Skinny: No school is a more prohibitive favorite to claim its conference title than Kent State, the 10-time defending champion, is in the MAC.

Northeast Championship
Hershey Links
Hershey, Pa.
April 24-26
Field: Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (N.Y.), Saint Francis (Pa.), Wagner
Defending champion: Fairleigh Dickinson (120-over 984) by two strokes over Sacred Heart; Central Connecticut State's Lucie Sarochova (13-over 229) by eight strokes over Saint Francis (Pa.)'s Samantha Milosh
Skinny: Saint Francis (Pa.) is the perennial conference power and is hungry to get its title back from last year's first-time winner, Fairleigh Dickinson.

Pac-10 Championship
   (For live scoring, click here for Golfstat)
Stanford GC
Palo Alto, Calif.
April 24-26
Field: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
Defending champion: USC (eight-over 860) by 26 strokes over UCLA; USC's Paola Moreno (one-under 212) by four strokes over Arizona State's Anna Nordqvist
Skinny: This could be the most exciting conference championship of them all, men or women, with UCLA, Arizona State and USC ranked in the top three in the country all season long. I give a slight edge to the Bruins, although I think ASU's Azahara Munoz will claim medalist honors.
Conference head-to-head records:
UCLA, 27-3, .900
Arizona State, 19-4-1, .812
USC, 20-10-1, .661
Oregon, 14-13-1, .517
Stanford, 13-15, .464
Arizona, 10-16, .384
Washington, 6-13-1, 325
California, 9-19, .321
Oregon State, 6-17, .260 
Washington State, 0-14, .000

 

Captain Matt Thurmond has a pretty strong American roster he will be taking with him to Denver's Cherry Hills CC this June for the 13th Palmer Cup matches as the U.S. tries to avenge its 14-10 defeat to the Europeans last year at Glasgow GC's Gailes Links.

The U.S. and European teams were named today (see rosters below). USC's Jamie Lovemark (2007) and Georgia's Adam Mitchell (2008) are making their second appearances in the event for the Americans; Jorge Campillo will be playing for the third time for Europe while Tim Sluiter makes his second start.

The Ryder Cup-style event will be held June 3-5 and is presented by Fisher Capital Partners. The U.S. has a 6-5-1 overall advantages in the annual matches.

U.S.
Bud Cauley, Alabama, Fr.
Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State, Fr.
Trent Leon, Oklahoma State, Sr.
Jamie Lovemark, USC, Jr.
Adam Mitchell, Georgia, Sr.
Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech, Sr.
Mike Van Sickle, Marquette, Sr.
Steve Ziegler, Stanford, Soph.

Europe
Jorge Campillo, Indiana, Sr. (Spain)
Stephan Gross, Arizona State, Soph. (Germany)
Leonardo Motta, IULM Milan (Italy)
Henrik Norlander, Augusta State, Soph. (Sweden)
Chris Paisley, Tennessee, Sr. (England)
Andrea Pavan, Texas A&M, Jr. (Italy)
Tim Sluiter, USC, Soph. (The Netherlands)
Robin Wingardh, Tennessee, Soph. (Sweden)

APR (Academic Performance Rate) is part of the new lexicon of college sports, a metric the NCAA developed in four years ago to track the progress of student-athletes by school and by sport. Yesterday, the association released a list of the 767 Division I sports teams that earned multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

Of all men's and women's sports, golf had the third most teams recognized. For the men, the number was 32 schools, trailing only cross country (35) and basketball (35). On the women's side, there were 46 schools honored, with tennis (57) and volleyball (48) the only other sports outpacing golf.

Below is a list of the schools that were cited for their strong academic performance:

MEN
Boston College, Bradley, Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, Connecticut, Cornell, Creighton, Dartmouth, Davidson, Dayton, DePaul, Duke, Eastern Illinois, Florida State, Furman, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Marquette, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, South Dakota State, St. Francis (N.Y.), Stanford, Tennessee Tech, UC Santa Barbara, UNLV, Villanova, Yale

WOMEN
Alcorn State, Arkansas, Baylor, Belmont, Boston University, Bucknell, Butler, Creighton, Dartmouth, Dayton, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Elon, Fairleigh Dickinson, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Holy Cross, Illinois, Iowa, James Madison, Kent State, Lehigh, LIU-Brooklyn, Longwood, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Monmouth, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oakland, Oregon, Penn, Princeton, Samford, San Diego State, Savannah State, Siena, SMU, St. Francis (N.Y.), USC, Wake Forest, Washington, Wyoming, Yale

Even though I wrote a feature story earlier this year about their woes and predicted correctly here last Thursday that Wake Forest would knock them off this past weekend, I guess there was always a part of me that thought the Duke women might actually stick it to all the naysayers and win their 14th straight ACC title this past weekend. We are talking about one of the premiere golf programs in the country with two big-time players in seniors Amanda Blumenherst and Jennie Lee. But in the end, the lack of depth proved too big a hurdle for the Blue Devils to clear at Sedgefield CC in Greensboro, N.C. When Yu Young Lee couldn't play Friday because of illness, it forced Duke to count a 80 from Alison Whitaker and an 84 from Kim Donovan in the first round, leaving them 23 shots back of the Demon Deacons after only 18 holes.

You actually have to give Duke some credit for bouncing back with scores of 290 and 295 in the final two rounds, which allowed them to finish third, one stroke back of North Carolina and 25 behind Wake. The bigger question arising from actually be might what happened to Virginia? The No. 4 ranked team in the country finished fifth, 38 strokes back of Wake, with Calle Nielson (first-round 69) and Whitney Neuhauser (third-round 68) being the only two players to break par in any round.

With the team championship out of reach after Friday, Duke's attention landed on three-time ACC individual champion Blumenherst, who made a clutch birdie putt on the final hole to force a playoff with Wake Forest's Natalie Sheary. Yet, as if proving once and for all that this just isn't the year for the Blue Devils, Blumenherst three-putted from 40 feet when in the first playoff hole for a bogey to fail in her attempt to become the first female college player to win four straight conference titles.

“It was [the same putt as I had before to tie at the end of regulation,” commented Blumenherst on the playoff putt.  “I guess I just didn’t hit it as hard as I did earlier.  It was the exact same line and I even putted it to the same place.  I must not have given it enough juice and it broke off at the end.”

Duke coach Dan Brooks, meanwhile, was reflective after the final round. "It was a pretty long streak so you have to feel great about it,” he said.  “I guess streaks have to come to an end.  It hurts a little bit -- we like to win.  It has been great to be on top.  We are going to do everything we can to get back on top.”

While Wake Forest ended the Duke women's dynasty, the Georgia Tech ended a victory drought when they walked off with the ACC men's title at Old North State Club in New London, N.C., by three strokes over Clemson. The Yellow Jackets hadn't won a tournament since grabbing a share of the ACC title with Virginia Tech in 2007, but claimed their third conference title in four years when they shot a five under on the back nine, led by Chesson Hadley and Cameron Tringale.

As Georgia Tech claimed its first title of 2008-09, Georgia won its fifth at the SEC men’s championship. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 in the Golf World/Nike Golf coaches’ poll, jumped to the front in the first round at Frederica CC in St. Simons Island, Ga., and didn’t faltered, winning with 15-under 849, 13 strokes better than Arkansas.
 
“We never expected it to come this easy for us,” said Georgia coach Chris Haack, who earned his six conference title and the school’s 27th overall. “In the past the great teams that I have had were the teams that were strong top to bottom. Having all five guys finish in the top 15 shows how strong we are in every position.” Florida’s Billy Horschel won individually with a final-round 71 and a 10-under 206 overall.

At the SEC women’s championship, Auburn trailed by three after the second round, then charged to a eight-stroke victory over Arkansas and Alabama at The University Club in Blythewood, S.C. Cydney Clanton, Patricia Sanz and Haley Wilson each posted par or better final-round scores to give the sixth-ranked Tigers their eighth SEC title with a 18-over 870 total.

Georgia’s Marta Silva Zamora was the only player under par, shooting a three-under 210 to win by four strokes and become the first freshman SEC medalist since 2005.

Second installment on championship previews ... all these events start tomorrow.

MEN
Big West Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
San Luis Obispo CC
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
April 20-21
Field: Cal Poly, CSU Northridge, Long Beach State, Pacific, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara
Defending champion: UC Irvine (15-under 849) by six strokes over UC Davis; UC Irvine's John Chin (nine-under 207) by three strokes over UC Irvine's Sean Shahi
Skinny: With two wins and four runner-up finishes, UC Davis looks ready to knock off UC Irvine and claim its first Big West title. The more likely repeat here might be with UC Irvine's John Chin.

Atlantic Sun Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Keith Hills CC
Buies Creek, N.C.
April 20-22
Field: Belmont, Campbell, East Tennessee State, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, North Florida, Stetson, USC Upstate
Defending champion: North Florida (14-over 866) by one stroke over East Tennessee State; ETSU's Gareth Shaw (three-under 210) by one stroke over ETSU's Rhys Enoch
Skinny: Six different winners in the last six seasons will end when East Tennessee State, 2007 champs and 2008 runner-up, returns to the winner's circle.

Big South Championship
The Patriot GC
Ninety-Six, S.C.
April 20-22
Field: Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Gardner Webb, High Point, Liberty, Presbyterian, Radford, Winthrop
Defending champion: Coastal Carolina (10-over 874) by 16 strokes over Charleston Southern; Coastal Carolina's David Dannelly (two-under 214) by two strokes over Presbyterian's Thomas Todd
Skinny: Hard not to pick Coastal to win its sixth straight league title. Fifth-year senior Zack Byrd is also the heavy favorite to claim the individual title after winning it as a freshman in 2005.

SWAC Championship
Links on the Bayou
Alexandria, La.
April 20-22
Field: Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Grambling, Jackson State, MIssissippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern
Defending champion: Jackson State (56-over 920) by eight strokes over Texas Southern; Jackson State's Albert Kilgore III (six-over 222) by one stroke over Texas Southern's Jacob Scriven
Skinny: Jackson State continues to be the head of the class in the SWAC.

Sun Belt Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Cypresswood GC
Houston
April 20-22
Field: Arkansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Denver, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Monroe, Middle Tennessee State, New Orleans, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy, Western Kentucky
Defending champion: Denver (11-under 853) by one stroke over New Orleans; South Alabama's Johnny Caldwell (11-under 205) by two strokes over Denver's Daniel Wax
Skinny: After advancing to nationals last year and winning the Callaway Collegiate Match Play this spring, Middle Tennessee State looks poised to claim its first conference title. That said, defending champion Denver and New Orleans won't let it be a walk-over.


WOMEN
Big West Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
San Luis Obispo CC
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
April 20-21
Field: Cal Poly, CSU Northridge, Long Beach State, UC-Davis, UC-Irvine, UC-Riverside
Defending champion: UC Irvine (44-over 908) by seven strokes over UC Davis; UC Irvine's Kim Lorenzana (six-over 222) on third playoff hole over UC Davis' Chelsea Stelzmiller
Skinny: UC Irvine is the top seed but it will likely be a three-team fight between Long Beach State and UC Davis. UC Irvine's Jane Chin, Long Beach State's Lee Lopez and Kay Hoey will make it equally interesting when settling the individual title.

Summit League Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Katie Cousins GC
Rochester, Mich.
April 20-21
Field: Centenary, IPFW, IUPUI, North Dakota State, Oakland, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State, Southern Utah, UM-Kansas City, Western Illinois
Defending champion: Oral Roberts (53-over 917) by 42 strokes over South Dakota State; Oral Roberts' Christy Carter (one-over 217) by three strokes over Oral Roberts' Pamela Ontiveros
Skinny: Oral Roberts is going for its 12th straight league title and with all five starters among the the league's top-10 stroke averages, it doesn't look like Golden Eagles should have much problem. The school's average victory margin in the championship? 42 strokes.

Big Sky Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Ocotillo GC
Chandler, Ariz.
April 20-22
Field: Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State, Weber State
Defending champion: Portland State (47-over 911) by two strokes over Northern Arizona; Portland State's Hannah Bews (four-over 220) by two strokes over Northern Arizona's Ali Carter
Skinny: Three straight runner-up finishes for Northern Arizona, which has a conference record five titles but none since 2002, will give way to a victory this time around with the Lumberjacks coming off a triumph at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic.

Southland Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Koasati Pines GC
Kinder, La.
April 20-22
Field: Central Arkansas, Lamar, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Sam Houston State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas State, UT-San Antonio
Defending champion: Texas State (55-over 907) by three strokes over Lamar and Sam Houston State; Texas State's Linn Gustafsson (seven-over 220) by five strokes over Sam Houston State's Jennifer Heinz and Central Arkansas' Nicole Forshner
Skinny: Two years removed from its last title, Lamar returns to the top this week in Louisiana.

SWAC Championship
Links on the Bayou
Alexandria, La.
April 20-22
Field: Alabama State, Grambling State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Texas Southern
Defending champion: Jackson State (40-over 616) by 108 strokes over Texas Southern; Jackson State's Shasta Averyhardt (five-over 149) by five strokes over Jackson State's Jennifer Sells
Skinny: Jackson State remains the class of the conference.

Sun Belt Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Cypresswood GC
Houston
April 20-22
Field: Arkansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Denver, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy, Western Kentucky
Defending champion: Denver (eight-over 872) by 42 strokes over Arkansas-Little Rock; Denver's Stephanie Sherlock (eight-under 208) by 10 strokes over Florida International's Paula Hurtado
Skinny: Denver hasn't been quite as sharp this season on the national level but a sixth straight Sun Belt title is pretty certain. More in question is whether Stephanie Sherlock can be medalist for a third straight year or whether teammate Dawn Shockley might take the title this time.

WAC Championship
   (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Wolf Run GC
Reno, Nev.
April 20-22
Field: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico State, San Jose State
Defending champion: Fresno State (41-over 905) by seven strokes over New Mexico State; Fresno State's Laura Luethke (four-over 220) by two strokes over New Mexico State's Suterra Chanachai
Skinny: San Jose State is on a roll entering the championship, with senior Erica Moston and her WAC-best 71.41 average making the Spartans the favorite to take the team title while she eyes medalist honors.

OK ... I'm going to take a little time off from the "This Week's Syllabus" format as the conference championship season begins in earnest. With that I'm going to be previewing the various postseason tournaments. Here is the first group. All of the events start between now and Sunday. (Teams in italic in the men's events DO NOT currently meet the ".500 rule" requirement to receive at-large berths to NCAA regionals.)

MEN
ACC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Old North State Club
New London, N.C.
April 17-19
Field: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest
Defending champion: Florida State (26-under 838) by three strokes over Duke; Wake Forest's Webb Simpson (14-under 202) by five strokes over North Carolina's Chase McFarland
Skinny: With its first win in three years coming at the U.S. Collegiate less than two weeks ago, Clemson has momentum and has to be the favorite.  Upstart would include Virginia and N.C. State, whose Matt Hill could solidify his national player of the year award bid with a individual win
Conference head-to-head records:
Wake Forest 17-12-1, .875
N.C. State 19-6-0, .760
Clemson 15-4-3, .750
Georgia Tech 12-4-2, .722
Duke 12-9-0, .571
Florida State 8-8-0, .500
Virginia 11-13-0, .458
Virginia Tech 7-12, .368
North Carolina 6-21, .222
Maryland 1-19-0, .050
Boston College 0-0-0, .000

SEC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Frederica GC
St. Simons Island, Ga.
April 17-19
Field: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Defending champion: Alabama (11-under 853) by eight strokes over South Carolina; Alabama's Michael Thompson (eight-under 208) by four strokes over South Carolina's George Bryan IV and Alabama's Joseph Sykora
Skinny: Georgia returns all five players from last year's squad that finished third at Frederica. That experience, plus their talent, makes them my pick. Medalist race is wide open but I can't help but think Florida's Billy Horschel and Georgia's Brian Harman might finish up their senior seasons in style.
Conference head-to-head records:
Tennessee 18-4, .818
Georgia 16-5, .761
South Carolina 20-7, .740
Arkansas 7-3-1, .681
Florida 15-12, .555
Mississippi 18-16, .529
LSU 13-13-1, .500
Alabama 11-11, .500
Vanderbilt 8-14-2, .375
Kentucky 7-12, .368
Auburn 6-26-0, .187
Mississippi State 3-19-1, .152

Colonial Athletic Association Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Callaway Gardens
Pine Mountain, Ga.
April 17-19
Field: Delaware, Drexel, George Mason, Georgia State, Hofstra, James Madison, Old Dominion, Towson, UNC Wilmington, VCU, William & Mary
Defending champion: Georgia State (nine-under 843) by 25 strokes over Old Dominion; Georgia State's Joel Sjoholm (12-under 201) by six strokes over William and Mary's Brent Paladino
Skinny: A year ago the Panthers had to win the conference title to get a bid to NCAA regionals and they came through. This time a high finish will do the trick (currently they're four wins shy in the hole for the .500 rule). How ironic would it be if former Georgia State/now UNC Wilmington coach Matt Clark knocks off his old school and keeps them from the postseason?

Big East Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Lake Jovita G&CC
Dade City, Fla.
April 19-21
Field: Cincinnati, Connecticut, De Paul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John's, South Florida, Villanova
Defending champion: Marquette (10-over 874) by two strokes over Louisville; Marquette's Ted Gray (five-under 211) by five strokes over St. John's Keegan Bradley
Skinny: It would seem to be a two-team race between Louisville and Marquette this year; the Cardinals depth however gives them the edge in my mind (UofL is 3-0 versus Marquette head-to-head this season). The Golden Eagles will get to cheer when senior Mike Van Sickle win his fifth title of the season; he has won two wins and a third-place finish at Lake Jovita during his career.

Conference USA Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Red Tail GC
Orlando
April 19-21
Field: UAB, UCF, East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU, Southern Mississippi, UTEP, Tulsa
Defending champion: UAB (seven-under 857) by nine strokes over Southern Mississippi; UAB's Zack Sucher (nine-under 207) by two strokes over UAB's Brad Smith
Skinny: In a conference that has more talent than you might first think (four teams in top 80), UCF had the home-course edge and the most depth. Sucher, though, gives UAB its third straight individual conference winner.

Southern Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
CC of South Carolina
Florence, S.C.
April 19-21
Field: Appalachian State, Charleston, Chattanooga, Davidson, Elon, Furman, Georgia Southern, UNC Greensboro, Western Carolina, Wofford
Defending champion: Chattanooga (one-over 865) by eight strokes over Charleston; Western Carolina'a Matt Cook (five-under 211) by four strokes over Chattanooga's Ben Rickett and UNC Greensboro's Nathan Stamey
Skinny: Two-time reigning champion Chattanooga isn't having their best year of late, but they look to be getting hot at the right time. Don't sleep on Georgia Southern, however.


WOMEN
Mountain West Conference Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Bayonet and Blackhorse GC
Seaside, Calif.
April 16-18
Field: BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Wyoming
Defending champion: New Mexico (12-over 888) by 19 strokes over BYU; New Mexico's Jodi Ewart (even-par 219) by two strokes over New Mexico's Morgan Grantham and BYU's Natalia Jimenez
Skinny: The MWC teams will have their hands full with the Bayonet and Blackhorse course, considered one of the toughest tests in California. UNLV has the depth needed to win. Lobo junior Ewart makes it three-for-three with individual honors.

ACC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Sedgefield CC
Greensboro, N.C.
April 17-19
Field: Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, Wake Forest
Defending champion: Duke (seven-over 871) by one  stroke over Virginia; Duke's Amanda Blumenherst (four-under 212) by one stroke over Florida State's Caroline Westrup
Skinny: I think we're going to see a four-school fight (Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest) that could be as good as any conference showdown we'll see all month. My prediction is that Duke's 13-year run ... ends with Wake Forest taking the crown. I think Blumenherst, however, rises to the occasion and wins her fourth ACC individual title.
Conference head-to-head records:
Virginia 17-4-0, .809
North Carolina 16-5-2, .739
Duke 5-2, .714
Wake Forest 9-7-2, .555
Maryland 3-7, .300
N.C. State 5-14-1, .275
Miami (Fla.) 3-8, .272
Florida State 3-14-1, .194
Boston College  0-0, .000

SEC Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Cobblestone Park
Blythewood, S.C.
April 17-19
Field: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Defending champion: Florida (10-over 874) by 17 strokes over Arkansas; Arkansas' Stacy Lewis (two-under 214) by one stroke over Florida's Hannah Yun
Skinny: Auburn might be the favorite, but LSU has been impressive this spring as well. Quietly, though, Alabama has posted seven top-five finishes and a 107-31-1 overall head-to-head record (4-3 versus Auburn. I'm rolling with a Tide victory, and a Kathleen Ekey individual win.
Conference head-to-head records:
Auburn 29-7, .805
Alabama 28-9, .756
LSU 29-10-2, .731
Vanderbilt 11-6, .647
Georgia 19-12-1, .609
Mississippi 16-18-1, .471
Florida 8-11-1, .421
Arkansas 13-20, .393
Tennessee 9-18, .333
South Carolina 10-23-1, .308
Kentucky 8-20-2, .300
Mississippi State 2-28, .066

Colonial Athletic Association Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Callaway Gardens
Pine Mountain, Ga.
April 17-19
Field: Dayton, Georgia State, Hofstra, James Madison, Old Dominion, Richmond, Towson, UNC Wilmington, William & Mary, Xavier
Defending champion: UNC Wilmington (15-over 879) by two strokes over Georgia State; Georgia State's Cathrine Madsen (five-under 211) by one stroke over UNC Wilmington's Ashley Tait
Skinny: Two years removed from their first CAA title, Georgia State looks ready to take the title back from two-time champion UNC Wilmington.

Missouri Valley Conference Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Lake Panorama GC
Panora, Iowa
April 17-19
Field: Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Wichita State  
Defending champion: Illinois State (96-over 948) by 15 strokes over Northern Iowa; Drake's Olivia Lansing (14-over 227) by three strokes over Northern Iowa's Molly Schemm
Skinny: Illinois State was the last MVC school to repeat (2004-05) and I think they'll repeat that feat this time around.

Big East Conference Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Lake Jovita G&CC
Dade City, Fla.
April 19-21
Field: Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Rutgers, St. John's, South Florida
Defending champion: Notre Dame (35-over 899) by nine strokes over Louisville; Notre Dame's Annie Brophy (six-over 222) by two strokes over Notre Dame's So-Hyun Park
Skinny: The Fighting Irish haven't been playing like last year's group, while Louisville has a real mission to avenge last year's loss. I think Cardinal senior Cindy LaCrosse win her second Big East individual title by five and helps UofL cruise to the team title.

Southern Conference Championship
    (For live scoring, click here to link to Golfstat)
Moss Creek GC
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
April 19-21
Field: Appalachian State, Chattanooga, Charleston, The Citadel, Elon, Furman, UNC Greensboro, Western Carolina, Wofford
Defending champion: Furman (37-over 901) by eight strokes over UNC Greensboro; Furman's Stefanie Kenoyer (two-over 218) by four strokes over Elon's Danielle Mills
Skinny: Furman's got the history but I like the spark Chattanooga is showing, so I'm going with the Mocs for the team title. As consolation, the Lady Paladins will see senior Blair Lamb win medalist honors for a second time in three years. ⿿ More