May 9, 2000

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

University of Wyoming junior David Hearn was selected on Tuesday to participate in the 2000 NCAA West Regional Men's Golf Championship to be played at the Riverbend Golf Course in Fresno, Calif., on May 18-20, hosted by Fresno State University.

This marks the second consecutive year that Hearn has earned an individual selection to the NCAA West Regional. At the '99 West Regional in Tucson, Ariz., Hearn placed 17th and missed advancing to the NCAA Championship by one place. Hearn is coming off an eighth-place showing at the 2000 Mountain West Conference Championships in Palm Desert, Calif., May 1-3.

The NCAA West Regional is composed of Districts 7 and 8 and nine at-large teams. Wyoming is located in District 7. The 2000 NCAA West Regional will be composed of the following teams and individuals, each team selected will be composed of five individuals:

        District 7 --   Six teams and two individuals
                        Teams:  Brigham Young, Fresno State, New
                        Mexico, Colorado State, San Diego State, UTEP
                        Individuals: David Hearn, Wyoming,
                        Ryan Ellis, Utah.
        District 8 --   Twelve teams and one individual
                        Teams:  Arizona State, UNLV, Arizona,
                        Oregon, Oregon State, California, Stanford,
                        UCLA, Washington, Pepperdine,
                        USC, Long Beach State
                        Individual: One Individual
        At-large --     Nine teams from a national pool
                        and three West Regional individuals
                        Teams:  Pacific, Cal State Northridge, Idaho,
                        Princeton, Wright State, Navy, Towson State,
                        Iona, Maryland-Baltimore County
                        Individuals: Three individuals

"Our goal was to qualify as a team this year," said Hearn. "Although we weren't able to reach that goal, it is very special to me, qualifying for the second year in a row as an individual. This time I feel much more comfortable as I head into the regional. I know what to expect. I'm just going to focus on playing my game, and if I can stay focused on that I think I have a realistic shot at moving onto the NCAA Championships."

"David's (Hearn) record speaks for itself," said Wyoming men's golf coach Roger Prenzlow. "He is definitely one of the best players in the West, and deserves this honor. It should be interesting seeing David compete this year, having been through the NCAA Regional once before. I believe he has an excellent chance of moving on to the NCAA Championships."

In men's collegiate golf, the NCAA Division I Championship begins with three regional competitions. In addition to the West Regional, there is also a Central and East Regional. All three regionals will be contested May 18-20. The Central Regional will be held at Victoria Country Club in Victoria, Texas, hosted by Southwest Texas State. The East Regional will be played at Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic, Pa., hosted by Temple University.

The NCAA Division I Championship will be hosted by Auburn University on May 31 - June 3 at the Grand National Golf Course in Auburn, Ala.

A total of 421 individuals will be competing at the Regional competitions with 156 advancing to the NCAA Championship. Those 156 participants will consist of at least eight teams from each regional. The two lowest scoring individuals from each regional, whose teams do not advance, will also move on to the championship finals. The remainder of the NCAA Championship field will be selected by the Division I Men's Golf Committee.