DELAND, Fla. – Coker College sophomore Jake Murphy (Hamilton, N.J.) becomes the first golfer to represent the Cobras at the NCAA Division II National Championship since 2006. Murphy’s even par 72 in Wednesday’s third and final round of the 2011 NCAA South/Southeast Super Regional Tournament was just enough to move him to fifth place in the tournament and punch his ticket to the national championship.

Murphy finished the three day event with a combined score of 218 (+2), just six strokes off the leaders Ricardo Gouveia of Lynn University and Michael Marshburn of Barton College.  Murphy, along with Delta State’s Grant Goforth who finished in fourth at even par, advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship as the top two individuals not on an advancing team.

The top five teams that advance are first place Lynn University (+5), second place Barry University (+9), third place Barton College (+13), fourth place Newberry College (+15) and fifth place Columbus State University (+21).

The national championship will be played May 16-20 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Murphy becomes the first Cobra to advance to the national championship since the entire men’s team made it in 2006. Prior to that Chris Taylor (class of 2003)  made it to the national championship as an individual in 2002 and 2003.