Aug. 14, 2007

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte 49ers senior Trevor Murphy and Ray Sheedy, who graduated in May, and sophomore Cole Willcox and 2007 graduate Phil Arouca of Saint Joseph's have qualified for the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.

7,398 entries were accepted by the USGA. Thirty-six hole sectional qualifying events were held at 96 sites to determine the 315-player field. Stroke play qualifying rounds will be held Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 20-21 to cut the 315-player field to 64, who will then enter a match play bracket to determine the champion.

The Golf Channel will televise portions of the match play rounds on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. NBC will have coverage of the Semifinal and Championship matches on Saturday and Sunday.

Murphy, who reached the match play round of 16 at the 2007 North & South Amateur, picked up victories at both the Vermont Amateur and the Vermont Open this summer. Sheedy, who set the 49ers single-season record with a 71.77 stroke average in 2005-06, was runner-up at the 2007 North & South Amateur.

Both players keyed the 49ers back-to-back berths i the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Championships. Charlotte wcaptured the Atlantic 10 titles both years and advanced through the NCAA East Regionals to the 30-team National championships. This past year, charlotte finished third at the NCAA Championships, matching the highest finish of any 49ers' program in NCAA Tournament competition.

Competing in five matches for the Hawks last year, Willcox averaged a team-best 74.6 strokes-per-round average, earning two top-10 finishes along the way. A two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference member, Arouca averaged 74.7 strokes-per-round over 30 rounds last season, and finished tied for seventh at the A-10 Championship.