CHICO, Calif. – Following their dramatic three-hole playoff victory at the CCAA Championship, the Chico State men's golf team returns to familiar ground at The Reserve at Spanos Park for the NCAA Division II West/South Central Super Regional.

The Wildcats are aiming for their first trip to the NCAA National Championship since 2023 and their first regional title since 2016, when they went on to finish as national runners-up.

Chico State has been a model of consistency, qualifying for the regional tournament in each of the past 17 seasons (excluding the canceled 2020 and 2021 campaigns).

Entering the tournament, the Wildcats are ranked No. 2 in the West Region behind Western Washington, the GNAC champions. The Vikings have compiled an impressive season with four team wins and seven top-three finishes. Chico State has matched that success with four team titles of its own and five top-three finishes.

The West Region field features strong representation from the CCAA, including Cal State East Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Marcos. Pacific West Conference qualifiers Hawai'i Hilo, Dominican and Vanguard will also compete, along with GNAC representative Simon Fraser.

Chico State's conference championship run helped elevate the program to No. 25 in the national rankings, the highest-ranked team from the West Region entering the tournament. The Wildcats will face a deep South Central field that includes several nationally ranked programs such as West Texas A&M, Colorado State Pueblo, St. Mary's (Texas), Dallas Baptist and Colorado Christian—last year's national runner-up.

Momentum has been a defining factor for Chico State this spring. Since February, the Wildcats have recorded five top-five finishes in six tournaments, including three consecutive team victories—the program's first three-peat since 2016.

That stretch included a dominant performance at the Palm Valley Classic in Arizona, where Chico State won by 39 strokes against a 19-team field, followed by a tie for first at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational and the conference title victory in Stockton.

The Wildcats will send a familiar lineup into the Super Regional: Naoki Easterday, Giuseppe Aliotti, Vineet Vallamsetty, Ty Weaver and Alex LemMon—all of whom competed in the CCAA Championship.

Aliotti and Weaver led the Wildcats in Stockton, each finishing tied for third, while Easterday added a top-five finish. LemMon and Vallamsetty played key roles in securing the team title during the playoff.

Easterday was named CCAA Player of the Year after a standout senior season, while Vallamsetty earned Freshman of the Year honors following two tournament victories. Head coach Nick Green was also recognized as CCAA Coach of the Year after guiding the Wildcats to the conference title.

Chico State will tee off Thursday, May 7, beginning at 11:00 a.m., paired with Colorado Mesa and Cal State East Bay.

West/South Central Super Regional
West Region:

1. Western Washington
2. Chico State [California Collegiate Athletic Association]
3. Cal State East Bay
4. Hawaii Hilo [Pacific West Conference]
5. Cal State San Bernardino
6. Simon Fraser
7. Cal State Monterey Bay
8. Cal State San Marcos
9. Dominican (California)
10. Vanguard

1. Kyle Krupp, Hawaii Pacific
2. Rasmus Tamker, Saint Martin's
3. Jacobus Brakkee, Jessup
4. Troy Song, Cal State Dominguez Hills

1. West Texas A&M
2. Colorado State University Pueblo
3. Colorado Mesa [Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference]
4. St. Mary's (Texas)
5. The University of Texas Permian Basin
6. Dallas Baptist University
7. Cameron [Lone Star Conference]
8. The University of Texas at Tyler
9. Colorado Christian
10. Midwestern State

1. Traejan Andrews, Fort Lewis
2. Juan Monckeberg, Texas A&M International
3. Liam Allan, Colorado School of Mines
4. Lukas Taggart, Colorado School of Mines