The Arizona men's golf team beat Purdue yesterday (3-2) in the first round of the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats got wins from sophomores Henry Liaw and Travis Esway and freshman Josh Esler to beat the Boilermakers in the 16-team event.

Arizona finishes its match with top-seeded Georgia Tech today. Play was suspended yesterday because of rain, with the Yellow Jackets leading in three pairings, tied in one and trailing in another after the first nine holes.

Arizona was one of six other higher-rated seeds to prevail in the first round. No. 4 Kentucky was the only top-eight school to be upset.

On the women's side, the Wildcats beat UCLA 4-1 in the first round.

Arizona got wins from senior Mar Garcia and juniors Cassandra Kirkland, Lani Elston and Whitney Welch.

The Wildcats continue their match with Washington today. Arizona was leading 3-1-1 after 10 holes, but the match was suspended because of darkness. If the Wildcats win they will play for the match championship tomorrow, an hour after the conclusion of the second round.

Cheseret earns NCAA bid at cross country regionals

The men's and women's cross country teams failed to earn NCAA automatic bids this weekend in the NCAA West Region Championship in Fresno, Calif.

The women's team ended the season with their race of the year, finishing seventh out of 28 West Coast schools.

The men finished one spot lower, in eighth, while sophomore Robert Cheseret grabbed an individual berth in the NCAA Championships by finishing second in the 10,000-meter race.

Freshman Mohamed Trafeh was the second Wildcat to finish, coming in 23rd.

"This was not our greatest performance as a team on the men's side, but we had several good individual performances," said head coach James Li in a press release. "Our ladies did a fantastic job. This was the best race of the year for them. I am really proud of them."

Senior Beth Hoge paced the women's team finishing 20th overall. Although she didn't capture an automatic bid to the NCAAs with her effort, she could still grab an at-large bid to the championships.

Junior Amber Steen was the second Arizona member to finish, placing 34th.

"I am really happy with the overall progress of both teams," Li said. "I am especially happy with the women. We are set up really well for the coming track season and for future cross country seasons."

For finishing first and second on both sides of the team competition, Stanford and Arizona State both earned the NCAA automatic bids.

The NCAA Championships take place Monday, Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind., with at-large selections announced no later than Tuesday.