PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The defending-national-champion UIndy women's golf team puts its title on the line this week, as the 2019 NCAA Division II Championships kick off Tuesday. The Greyhounds will be one of 16 teams headed to PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for DivisionII's marquee event, which will run Tuesday through Saturday, May 14-18.
 
The format of the tournament has been altered this year for the first time since the DII Championships started in 2000. Instead of the traditional 72-holes of stroke play, the ladies will play 54-holes of stroke play, with the top eight advancing to the medal/match-play quarterfinals. The quarters and semis will be played on Friday, with the remaining two teams competing for the team national championship Saturday. The individual medal will be handed out on Thursday at the conclusion of stroke play.
 
"We are excited to get started at PGA National," said Head Coach Brent Nicoson. "We have worked all season to have a chance to win another national championship, now we're here and have that chance."
 
The Greyhounds are looking to continue an impressive run at the Championships. UIndy is the only school in Division II with an active streak of five consecutive top-five finishes at Nationals. The run includes national championships in 2015 and 2018 as well as a runner-up showing in 2016.
 
UIndy returns just two student-athletes from the five-woman lineup that won the national championship last May, but those two are All-America performers Pilar Echeverria and Katharina Keilich. Echeverria is the third-ranked golfer in DII this season, while Keilich is the reigning individual national champion. They will be joined by first-time Championship-participants Kennedy Holtsclaw, Anna Kramer and Cailyn Henderson.
 
"We are inexperienced as far as postseason tournaments go," admitted Nicoson, "but I have confidence in this group. They are excited to get started."

Currently ranked No. 6 in the Golfstat.com DII team rankings, UIndy will be paired with eighth-ranked West Texas A&M and No. 27 Southwestern Oklahoma State tomorrow. The Hounds will be teeing off in 10-minute intervals beginning at 9 a.m. ET. Live results will be available here.
 
UIndy earned a spot at in the championship field after finishing second at the NCAA DII East Super Regional last week. Echeverria captured her third consecutive individual medal at regionals with a 54-hole score of +3.