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It’s lunchtime on Tuesday and the Virginia Tech men’s golf team has made it safely to Auburn, Alabama, site of the 2014 NCAA Auburn Regional. The tournament has a practice round on Wednesday and the competition begins on Thursday morning. The second-seeded Hokies will be in the first group off the tee at 8 a.m. CDT.

The travel party headed out of Blacksburg on Monday morning and drove to the northern suburbs of Atlanta for a practice session at the Chateau Elan Resort and then spent the night down the road a bit. Tuesday morning saw the team complete the trek to Auburn and check into the hotel.

A bit of great news made it to the Hokies as they were leaving the hotel on Tuesday morning, as it was learned that Bryce Chalkley, Trevor Cone and Scott Vincent were named All-ACC. It’s the first time for Bryce and Trevor, while Scott makes it for the second consecutive year.

As this blog is being posted, the Hokies and staff are playing at nearby Moore’s Mill Golf Club. This beautiful club was selected due to having Tift Eagle Bermuda greens, the same surface that the Auburn University Club has on its greens. Kennesaw State and St. John’s are also here preparing for the regional. As expected, heat and humidity have greeted the Hokies, but this is great practice for later this week.

And now, part of the preparation for travel and play in the regional. Head coach Jay Hardwick, realizing the timing of the regionals, worked with the Office of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services, made sure that all of the team’s final exams were completed by Saturday night (May 10). So, no classes or exams are being missed by this group. And since the Hokie men’s golf team recently earned their fifth consecutive NCAA Public Recognition Award, obviously, academics come first with this group.

The Hokies are the second seed in this regional, which represents the best seed in school history. This team has had remarkable success this season and has earned this lofty seed. But in the end, it only matters what happens on the course. The top five teams advance to the NCAA Championship, along with the low individual not on an advancing team. The championship round will be played at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas, May 23-28.

When the Hokies return to the hotel, they will freshen up for dinner, eat a good team meal and get back to the rooms to rest and prepare for an 8:10 a.m. tee time in Wednesday’s practice round. We’ll check back in Wednesday during the day with another update.

Remember, along with this blog, you can keep up with all the Hokies’ news on Twitter at @VT_MGolf

For updates on Virginia Tech men's golf, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_MGolf