DADE CITY, Fla. --- Coming off its first South Atlantic Conference championship in school history, the Tusculum College men's golf team is gearing up for this week's NCAA Division II South/Southeast Super Regional in Dade County, Florida.

Tusculum is making its inaugural NCAA postseason appearance as the Pioneers earned the league's automatic bid by winning the SAC Championship last month in Marvin, North Carolina.

This week's super regional will be played this Monday through Wednesday (May 4-6) at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club and hosted by Saint Leo University. Twenty (20) teams between the NCAA Southeast and South region will be competing at the event. Peach Belt Conference representatives Flagler and USC Aiken are the top two seeds from the Southeast, while Nova Southeastern and Lynn out of the Sunshine State Conference are the top seeds from the South.

Tusculum head coach Bob Dibble has guided the Pioneers to a banner season, winning a school-record five tournaments.

Junior Brad Hawkins leads the way for the Pioneers as the All-SAC first team standout boasts a 71.56 scoring average, which is the lowest in TC history and currently the third-best in the entire nation. The Knoxville, Tennessee native carded eight rounds under-par and won individual titles at the Tusculum Fall Classic and the Walters State Fall Classic. Hawkins has eight top-10 finishes this season, including four top-five efforts. He finished sixth at the SAC Championship to earn All-Tournament second team honors.

Though in his first season, Hawkins brings a wealth of postseason experience as he led last year's Walters State College team to a NJCAA National Championship, while earning All-America honors for a second consecutive year.

Junior Nick Forsberg led wire-to-wire at the SAC Championship to claim medalist honors and clinch the two-stroke victory for TC with a dramatic birdie on the 18th hole. The Staples, Minnesota native owns a 75.15 stroke average. The 2013 All-Conference honoree also owns a pair of runner-up finishes and his 74.93 career stroke average is ranked in the top-five in program history.

Warren Cheney led the Pioneers to victory at the Etowah Spring Challenge and picked up the individual title with an even par round of 72. Cheney, a senior from Nashville, Tennessee, has a 77.00 stroke average in 19 rounds this season. He has two top-five finishes and carded a low-round of 68 at the Walters State Classic.

Sophomores Chris Hutson and Taylor Smith round out the Pioneers' five competitors at this week's NCAA Regional. Hutson, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, owns a stroke average of 74.27, which is the second-lowest on the team, and has a pair of top-10 efforts. Smith, a product of Gray, Tennessee, has three top-10 finishes this season and has compiled a stroke average of 75.90. He finished ninth at the SAC Championship to earn All-Tournament second team accolades.

The NCAA II National Championship will be held May 18-22 in Conover, North Carolina at Rock Barn Golf and Spa and hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne University.

- TC -