MIAMI, FLA. (FIUSports.com) – The 18th-seeded FIU women's golf team sits in 18th after the first round of play at the 2013 NCAA Division I Women's Golf East Regional, held at the Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala. The Panthers scored a 16-over with a 304 team score.

Junior Shelby Coyle (Pembroke Pines, Florida) and freshman Meghan MacLaren (Cambridge, United Kingdom) lead FIU's five starters as both are tied at 54th with a 75 in the first round (+3). Seniors Yolecci Jimenez (Caracas, Venezuela) and Tania Tare (Auckland, New Zealand) are tied for 70th at five-over after each scored a 77. Freshman Sophie Godley (Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom) sits in a tie for 95th with a seven-over (79) in the first round.

Top-seeded Alabama leads the field of 24 schools and 126 overall competitors at 11-under (277). Erica Popson (Tennessee), Emma Lavy (Arkansas) and Emma Talley (Alabama) are all tied for first at five-under (67).

Live scoring is available on GolfStat.com, with a tournament central page located at www.AuburnTigers.com/NCAA/Golf. A full FIU recap will also be available at the conclusion
of each round at FIUSports.com.

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The 24 schools and 126 overall competitors at the NCAA East Regional are playing on a par-72, 6,259-yard course that is situated on 225 acres of beautiful rolling hills and woodlands. The Central Alabama located course, designed in 1999, surrounds the 25-acre Yarbrough Lake and is partly bordered by Saugahatchee Creek.

FIU, seeded 18th, is represented by five starters, featuring in order from one to five, freshman Meghan MacLaren (Cambridge, U.K.), senior Tania Tare (Auckland, New Zealand), junior Shelby Coyle (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), senior Yolecci Jimenez (Caracas, Venezuela) and freshman Sophie Godley (Nottinghamshire, U.K.).

All five FIU starters were named to the 2013 All-Sun Belt Conference team; the first time in league history a school saw all of five starters receive All-Conference honors.
Additionally, MacLaren, the 2013 Sun Belt Conference individual champion, was named SBC Freshman of the Year. FIU Head Coach Joe Vogel was the league's Coach of the Year.

The 2013 NCAA appearance is the second under Vogel and the 13th overall postseason appearance by the FIU golf program since 1977. The Panthers last played in an NCAA Division I Women's Golf Regional in 2011, at LPGA International in Daytona Beach.

Three regional tournaments, East, Central and West, will be conducted May 9-11 to determine the championships field. Regional tournaments are considered preliminary rounds of NCAA championships competition, and all national championships policies apply. A total of 72 Division I programs, split into three groups of 24 schools, and 378 total participants have been selected for regional competition. Of these players, 126 will advance to the championships finals. Eight teams and two individuals will advance from each regional.

The championships finals will be held May 21-24 at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga. and will be hosted by Georgia.

The competing teams at the NCAA East Regional are as follows, by seed (conference champion): 1. Alabama (SEC), 2. Arkansas, 3. UCLA, 4. North Carolina, 5. Virginia, 6. Oklahoma State (Big 12), 7. Tulane (Conference USA), 8. Texas, 9. Notre Dame (Big East), 10. Northwestern (Big Ten), 11. Tennessee, 12. Kentucky, 13. Texas State, 14. Auburn, 15. Central Florida, 16. Penn State, 17. East Carolina, 18. FIU (Sun Belt), 19. Mississippi, 20. East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun), 21. UT-Chattanooga (Southern), 22. James Madison (Colonial), 23. Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley) and 24. Alabama State (SWAC).

The following six players were invited as individual competitors: 1. Natalie Wille, Augusta State, 2. Kelly Shon, Princeton, 3. Casey Kennedy, Augusta State, 4. Isabel Southard, Boston College, 5. Shu-Yin Liu, Tulsa and 6. Kristina Merkle, Tulsa.

FIU has faced 28 different schools selected to play in NCAA Regional competition, including 12 teams competing in the East Regional. In the East Regional, FIU has played in 2012-13, top-seed Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Central Florida, East Carolina, Mississippi, East Tennessee State, UT-Chattanooga and James Madison.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelors, masters and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.