Terps Prepare for NCAA East Regional
6/21/1999 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 17, 1999
Terps at a Glance
Maryland at NCAA East Regional
Date: May 20-22, 1999
Time: All Day
Site: Rhode Island Country Club (Providence, R.I., Par 71, 6,734 Yards)
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TERRAPIN GOLFERS VENTURE TO NCAA EAST REGIONAL AT PROVIDENCE
Playing perhaps their best golf of the 1998-99 season, the Maryland Terrapins venture to Rhode Island this
week to participate in the 1999 NCAA East Regional. Tournament play begins on Thursday, May 20 with the first of
three rounds of 18-holes. The 54-hole tournament concludes on Saturday, May 22. Eleven teams and two
individuals will advance to the NCAA Championships, conducted June 2-5 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in
Chaska, Minn. Joining the Terps in the 23-team field are top-ranked Georgia, No. 3 Clemson, and Atlantic Coast
Conference champion and fourth-ranked Georgia Tech.
The Terrapins, under the guidance of eighth-year head coach Tom Hanna, finished in the top six of every spring tournament in 1999, and recorded four top-three finishes to secure their first bid to regional competition in five years. Maryland was the seventh team out of eight chosen from the NCAA's District III North. Sixteen of the 23 teams chosen for the regional field were selected from District III North and South schools.
For Maryland, it is the Terps' eighth appearance in an NCAA Men's Golf Tournament and their first since 1994 when they finished 16th in the East Regional at Opelika, Ala. It is just Maryland's second NCAA appearance since 1976, 23 years ago, when the Terrapins finished ninth overall.
AGAINST THE FIELD
Comparing each of Maryland's seven spring and five fall tournaments, here is a look at how the Terps fared
against teams from this week's East Region field. Through 12 tournaments, the Terps have beaten - at least once
- 12 of the 17 opponents they have already faced. Maryland has a winning record against eight of the 17
opponents they have faced. MasterCard/CGF rankings are in parenthesis:
Augusta State (29) 2-3-2 Clemson (3) 0-1 Connecticut 0-0 Duke (46) 3-2 E. Tennessee St. (20) 1-1 Florida (9) 0-0 Georgia (1) 0-0 Georgia State (44) 1-0 Georgia Tech (4) 0-2 James Madison 2-0 Mississippi (43) 2-0 Mississippi St. (21) 0-2 North Carolina (16) 0-4 NC State (19) 1-1 North Florida (23) 3-1 Penn State 0-0 Rhode Island 3-0 Richmond 1-1 Seton Hall 1-0 South Alabama (25) 0-1 South Carolina (11) 1-0 Yale 0-0 Opponents who Maryland has not played yet in 1998-99 Opponents against whom Maryland owns a .500 record or better this season
PLAYING THEIR BEST GOLF OF THE YEAR
The Maryland Terrapins are playing their best golf of the season heading into the NCAA East Regional at
Providence, R.I. The Terps are coming off their fourth finish of third-place or better this spring, following the lead of
senior Miguel Rivera (Bel Air, Md.) who captured medalist honors at the Furman Intercollegiate on May 2. Rivera
is the hottest Maryland player entering the tournament, though boasts the third-best stroke average on the team
behind juniors Keith Unikel (Potomac, Md.) and Gary Mankulish (Laurel, Md.). Rivera has shot six rounds of par
or better in his last three tournaments to sport a 72.11 average in that stretch. Unikel paces the Terps with a 72.33
average overall, with three top 10 finishes and seven sub-par rounds on the season. A day before the Terps
earned their first NCAA bid since 1994, Unikel was named Maryland's first All-ACC honoree during the same five-
year span. Mankulish, third at the Pepsi Intercollegiate earlier this season, checks in with a 73.62 average and is
the Terps' best long ball hitter.
TOP TERP DURING STRETCH RUN
Miguel Rivera has clearly been the most outstanding Terrapin golfer since the ACC Championships. Since an
opening round 78 at the ACCs, he has been a model of consistency, shooting between 69 and 74 in every round.
Six of those eight rounds have been par or better.
Tournament Place Scores ACC Championships T10 78 71 70 219 +3 Wofford Invitational T13 74 72 71 217 +1 Furman Intercollegiate 1 73 69 71 213 -3
ALL-ACC RECIPIENT IS ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA NOMINEE
Terp junior Keith Unikel is the first Maryland golfer since 1994 to earn All-ACC accolades, and he is a current
nominee for Academic All-America honors. Unikel boasts a 3.46 GPA while majoring in finance.
JUST "ANOTHER" AWARD - TOP SENIOR MEN'S SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
While Unikel is Maryland's nominee for Academic All-America honors, senior Pete Coughlin (Berwick, Pa.)
was recently named the University of Maryland's top male senior scholar-athlete.
TERRAPIN GOLF: PAST AND FUTURE
Tom Hanna is a former Terrapin player who helped Maryland to a ninth-place finish in the 1971 NCAA
Championships. Since Hanna returned to his alma mater as coach in 1991-92, he has twice directed to the Terps
back to NCAA competition. A former player of Hanna's who starred on the '94 team which last qualified for the
NCAA Regionals, Jason Rodenhaver, was named last December to head the Maryland women's golf team which
begins play for the first year in 1999-2000. Rodenhaver was an assistant with the Maryland men's golf program
prior to his naming as head women's coach.
MARYLAND/NCAA QUICK FACTS
School: University of Maryland
Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference
Head Coach: Tom Hanna (Maryland '71 / 8th season)
NCAA Appearances: 8th (1958, 1963, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1994, 1999)
Last Appearance: 1994 (East Regional, 16th of 23 at Opelika, Ala.)
NCAA Titles: none
1998 NCAA Finish: did not qualify
Highest NCAA Finish: 4th (1958)
Current Nat'l Ranking:
31 - MasterCard/College Golf Foundation
33 - Golfstat
37 - Golfweek/Sagarin
MARYLAND MEN'S GOLF SPRING 1999 STATISTICS
Name Trn. Rds. Top 10 -Par Par 60's Low Rd. High Rd. Strokes Avg. Keith Unikel, Jr. 6 18 3 7 1 4 68 (4) 78 1,302 72.33 Gary Mankulish, Jr. 7 21 2 5 2 0 70 (2) 78 1,546 73.62 Miguel Rivera, Sr. 7 21 2 5 2 1 69 81 1,559 74.23 Mike Deo, Sr. 7 21 0 2 2 0 70 81 1,573 74.90 Pete Coughlin, Sr. 7 21 0 1 2 1 68 85 (2) 1,605 76.43 Ben Ricker, Jr. 1 3 0 0 0 0 78 87 248 82.70 Team Totals 7 84 7 20 9 6 68 (5) 87 6,176 73.52
MARYLAND MEN'S GOLF SPRING 1999 RESULTS
March 12-13 - UNC Charlotte Birkdale Classic
Birkdale Golf Course, Charlotte, N.C. (Par 72, 7,013 Yards)
Finish Scores T6 of 18 MARYLAND 298 302 300 900 +36 T7 Keith Unikel 71 73 74 218 +2 T13 Gary Mankulish 72 73 75 220 +4 T44 Miguel Rivera 74 77 79 230 +14 T54 Mike Deo 81 81 72 234 +18 89 Pete Coughlin 85 79 85 249 +33March 19-20 - Pepsi Intercollegiate
Bradford Creek Golf Course, Greenville, N.C. (Par 72, 6,976 Yards)
Finish Scores 3 of 25 MARYLAND 286 297 293 876 +12 3 Gary Mankulish 71 72 71 214 -2 T10 Keith Unikel 70 75 72 217 +1 T19 Mike Deo 71 73 76 220 +4 T56 Pete Coughlin 75 77 74 226 +10 T74 Miguel Rivera 74 77 77 228 +12March 22-23 - Cleveland Golf Championships
Palmetto Golf Club, Aiken, S.C. (Par 71, 6,380 Yards)
Finish Scores T2 of 12 MARYLAND 287 294 288 869 +17 T3 Keith Unikel 68 75 70 213 E T11 Mike Deo 70 74 72 216 +3 T11 Pete Coughlin 75 68 73 216 +3 T33 Gary Mankulish 74 77 73 224 +11 T49 Miguel Rivera 81 78 73 232 +19April 3-4 - Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational
Forest Hills Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. (Par 72, 6,875 Yards)
Finish Scores T6 of 19 MARYLAND 296 292 285 873 +9 T18 Keith Unikel 76 73 68 217 +1 T23 Mike Deo 73 73 72 218 +2 T23 Pete Coughlin 72 74 72 218 +2 T36 Miguel Rivera 75 72 73 220 +4 T76 Gary Mankulish 78 74 75 227 +11
April 16-18 -- ACC Championships
Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point, Badin Lake, N.C. (Par 72, 7,102 Yards)
Finish Scores
6 of 9 MARYLAND 306 299 300 905 +41
T10 Miguel Rivera 78 71 70 219 +3
T22 Gary Mankulish 75 75 73 223 +7
T36 Mike Deo 77 77 79 233 +17
T38 Pete Coughlin 76 76 82 234 +18
44 Ben Ricker 87 83 78 248 +32
April 23-24 -- Wofford Invitational
Carolina Country Club, Spartanburg, S.C. (Par 72, 6,675 Yards)
Finish Scores
T3 of 13 MARYLAND 294 283 294 871 +7
T6 Gary Mankulish 70 70 74 214 -2
T13 Miguel Rivera 74 72 71 217 +1
T13 Keith Unikel 76 68 73 217 +1
T27 Mike Deo 74 73 76 223 +7
59 Pete Coughlin 77 78 81 236 +20
May 1-2 -- Furman Intercollegiate
Furman University Golf Course, Greenville, S.C. (Par 72, 6,800 Yards)
Finish Scores 3 of 17 MARYLAND 297 284 301 882 +18 1 Miguel Rivera 73 69 71 213 -3 T13 Keith Unikel 76 68 76 220 +4 T26 Gary Mankulish 75 71 78 224 +8 T34 Pete Coughlin 74 76 76 226 +10 T44 Mike Deo 75 76 78 229 +13
