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UNCG's women's soccer team was on the outside looking in Monday night when the NCAA Tournament's field was announced. The Spartans (16-4-3) were hoping for their second consecutive at-large bit into the tournament's field of 64 teams. Thirty-four teams receive at-large bids into the tournament.

UNCG played a 0-0 tie with Western Carolina in the Southern Conference tournament final Sunday. Western Carolina won the championship and the automatic bid in a penalty kick shootout, 2-0.

The Spartans, unbeaten in their last 14 matches (11-0-3), were left out of the field in favor of Georgia, Auburn and James Madison. Georgia (11-10-1) made it to the SEC final with a win over Florida, but had 10 losses during the season and lost to Tennessee (10-10-1) in the final. Auburn had eight losses on the season (12-8-1) to make for the sixth SEC team selected, but James Madison was the interesting selection. James Madison (12-6-2) lost to George Mason at home, a team that UNCG trounced, 6-3. The Dukes did own a tie against West Virginia and Penn State.

"I am proud of our club" UNCG coach Eddie Radwanski said in a university statement. "We won a regular-season conference championship and we played right down to the wire for the automatic bid. It is disheartening to sit here and see our name not come on the board. But we should still be proud of the year we had."

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

FCS POLL: Elon remained at No. 11 in this week's Sports Network poll of the top teams in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Phoenix visits second-ranked Appalachian State this Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

SIGNINGS

SOUTHWEST GUILFORD: Ethan Ogburn, a right-handed pitcher from Southwest Guilford, has committed to N.C. State. Ogburn, who will sign his letter of intent today, went 3-3 with two saves and a 1.68 ERA as a junior last season and was named MVP of last weekend's Impact Futures Game at East Carolina.

RAGSDALE: Four Ragsdale student-athletes will sign letters of intent today: Lisa Archie for women's basketball at Elon, Nick McBride for baseball at ECU, Ryan Andrejco for baseball at Catawba and Kyle Brandenburg as an invited walk-on for baseball at Campbell.

HONORS

WAKE FOREST: Brandon Pendergrass, a 5-foot-9, 200-pound redshirt freshman from Royal Palm Beach, Fla., is the ACC rookie of the week in football. Pendergrass rushed for 110 yards on 27 carries in last week's 28-17 win over Virginia.

GOLF

MATHIS EARNS CARD: Lexington native David Mathis, an alumnus of Campbell, is one of 25 Nationwide Tour players who secured a 2009 PGA Tour cards Sunday at the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch. Mathis finished among the year's top-25 money winners.