PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Houston and ECU were each selected to compete in the 2018 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, it was announced on Wednesday night. The two squads will be among the 18 teams competing at the Austin Regional at the University of Texas Golf Club May 7-9.

Additionally, three individuals – the SMU pair of Brigitte Dunne and Faith Summers and UCF’s Kaeli Jones – were chosen to compete as individuals. Dunne and Summers will both compete in the Austin Regional while Jones will participate in the Tallahassee Regional at the Seminole Golf Course & Club in Tallahassee, Florida.

After notching the program’s second American Athletic Conference title in three years, Houston was seeded seventh for the regional. The seed is the Cougars’ highest NCAA Regional seeding in program history. It topped the previous high of No. 9 at the 2016 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Gerrod Chadwell, the Cougars will compete in NCAA Regional play for the fourth straight season, or every season in which the team has been eligible to compete. The program began in 2013-14 with four student-athletes competing as individuals per NCAA rules.

In addition, the Cougars are one of only 28 teams to qualify for NCAA Regional play in each of the last four years.

ECU earned its 12^th at-large bid in the program’s 18-year history, were chosen as the No. 12 seed in the same region as Houston. At the American Athletic Conference Women’s Golf Championship, the Pirates finished as runners-up to the Cougars along with UCF.

Sophomore Dorthea Forbrigd was the individual runner-up at the championship, as well, falling in a playoff.

The selection to the NCAA Championship marks the 16^th consecutive season where the Pirates will be represented in the NCAA Regional competition, whether as a team or individual.

The Cougars and Pirates will join No. 1 seed Arkansas, No. 2 seed Texas, No. 3 seed Michigan State, No. 4 seed Florida, No. 5 seed Auburn, No. 6 seed Oklahoma, No. 8 seed Miami (Fla.), No. 9 seed Baylor, No. 10 seed Texas A&M, No. 11 seed BYU, No, 13 seed Texas Tech, No. 14 seed Virginia Tech, No. 15 seed UTSA, No. 16 seed Georgetown, No. 17 seed Houston Baptist and No. 18 seed Missouri State on the 6,342-yard, par-72 layout at UT Golf Club.

Dunne and Summers were both named to the 2018 Women's Golf All-American Athletic Conference Team last week, along with Jones. 

A three-time all-conference honoree, Dunne led the Mustangs with a 74.03 scoring average. The junior twice fired a round of 67 this season, the best mark of her career and the lowest round by a Mustang this year.

Summers joins Dunne on the all-conference team by posting SMU's next-best season scoring average at 74.56. The sophomore notched five top-20 finishes in nine tournaments played, including finishing a season-best 12th twice. 

Jones took fifth place at the American Athletic Conference championship on her way to all-conference recognition. The senior has been the Knights' top golfer all season, pacing her team with a 73.7 scoring average.

Seventy-two teams and 24 individuals were selected to compete in one of four regional championships, each featuring 18 teams and six individuals, May 7-9, to determine the championships field. From regional competition, 24 teams and 12 individuals will advance to the national championships to be played May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. The Golf Channel will televise the final three days of the championship live.