The Valparaiso men’s golf team learned Monday night that it will make it's NCAA Division I Golf Championships debut in nearby Columbus, Ohio.

The Crusaders are one of 13 teams selected to play the regional hosted by Ohio State on May 16-18. The 54-hole tournament will be contested on the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University Golf Club.

“We’re real excited about it being five hours away,” Valparaiso head coach David Gring said. “We had a gathering for the selection show and were huddled around watching it on the computer. It was exciting to see our name pop up and for it to be close to home. It will be close for our parents and fans on a tremendous course.”

The low five teams plus the low individual not on one of the qualifying teams will advance to the NCAA Championship held May 28-June 2 at The Capital City Club in Atlanta, Ga.

Joining Valparaiso in Columbus are: New Mexico, Stanford, Auburn, South Carolina, Missouri, UNLV, Texas Tech, Chattanooga, Georgia Southern, San Francisco, Virginia and Charlotte.

“Nine of the 12 events we played this year were ones we were playing for the first time,” Gring said. “We were seeing teams and courses for the first time, so the guys are not intimidated by that whatsoever. We just need to relax and go out and play well. We have been doing this all year.

The Crusaders qualified for their first-ever NCAA Tournament by winning the Horizon League Championship by four strokes over Cleveland State.