WILLIAMSBURG, Va. --- The Xavier men's golf team spent Wednesday practicing before the opening round of the NCAA Championship East Region begins Thursday at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. The Musketeers are making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this year.

Coach Doug Steiner, a two-time A-10 Coach of the Year, and his Xavier team is one of 27 teams competing in the East Region. The top 10 finishers in this, and two other regions, will advance to the NCAA Championship that will take place May 30-June 2 in Durham, N.C.

The Musketeers advanced to the NCAA Tournament by receiving an automatic bid after winning the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in April. Xavier shot a school record 23-under par to claim its second A-10 title.

Seniors Tim Donovan and Jeff Marr lead Xavier into the NCAA Tournament. Donovan was the medallist at the A-10 tournament with a 19-under par 197 for the three rounds. He's second round of 8-under 64 was a school record. Marr enters the tournament with the best scoring average on the team at 73.90.

Xavier will play the first two rounds of the NCAAs with Princeton and Seton Hall. The first round for the Musketeers will get underway at 8:06 a.m. Thursday on the first hole. XU will tee off the second round from the 10th hole beginning at 12:45 p.m. on Friday. Saturday's pairings and tee times will be determined after Friday's rounds are completed.

Look for updates after each round on the Xavier Athletics home page, or follow the action live on the internet at www.golfstat.com.