Meet Team Nebraska for the 40th Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup
Matches to be Conducted Monday-Tuesday at Firethorn Golf Club
LINCOLN (August 1, 2025) - Eight juniors have earned their way to represent Nebraska at the 40th Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup Matches at Firethorn Golf Club in Lincoln, August 4-5.
The annual event pits the best juniors competing head-to-head in Four-Ball, Foursomes, and Singles matches. Last year, Kansas reclaimed the cup with a 10.5-5.5 victory. Kansas now leads overall series, 23-16.
Elkhorn's Jake Hirz will lead the team as the captain for the fourth-straight year. Hirz was the head boys' golf coach at Millard North High School for several years, and played golf collegiately at Wayne State.
The Nebraska team will be represented by two returning members from last year's team, Trevor Gutschewski of Omaha and Tommy Kelley of Omaha, and another from the 2022 team, Coltrane Mittag of Ashland.
Gutschewski returns for a fourth-straight appearance, and he'll join just two others who have represented Nebraska that many times. O'Neill's John Hurley and Gibbon's Josh Reinertson each made four Junior Cup Teams. Gutschewski has followed up his win at the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship with another stellar year, winning the Western Junior Amateur and making the Quarterfinals of the North & South Amateur. He advanced to the Round of 64 in his title defense at the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur. The Omaha Westside graduate will join the University of Florida golf team soon.
Kelley is back for the second-straight year. The Omaha Creighton Prep rising senior had a fantastic summer, finishing third at the Nebraska Junior Amateur and making the Semifinals of the Nebraska Junior Match Play. Kelley is committed to play golf at the University of Nebraska.
Mittag played in the 2022 Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup at just 14-years-old, but has missed the last two years due to conflicting events. The Oklahoma University commit in the class of 2026 leads NebGolf's SWAG Junior Point Standings. He finished third at the Nebraska Amateur, earning Low Junior honors for a second-straight year, and made the Round of 16 at the Nebraska Junior Match Play. Mittag also has several top finishes in national junior events, including at Top 10 at the Western Junior.
Five first time team members will compete, including Waco's Jaxson Hinze, the 2025 Nebraska Junior Amateur Champion, and Lincoln's Ben Kottmeyer, the 2025 Nebraska Junior Match Play Champion. Lincoln's Zack Erstad earned a spot by winning the Nebraska Junior PGA Championship and finishing runner-up in a playoff to Hinze at the Nebraska Junior Amateur. Kottmeyer, a Lincoln Southwest graduate, is headed to Doane University to play golf this fall, while Hinze will be a senior at York High School and Erstad a senior a Lincoln East. Hinze recently committed to play golf for the Huskers.
Carter Honnens of Lincoln was rewarded with a captain's pick after an impressive run at the 58th Nebraska Match Play Championship, where he advanced to the Quarterfinals. He also finished Top 5 at the Nebraska Junior Amateur. Kearney's Nash Malone took the other captain's pick, after finishing runner-up at the Nebraska Junior Match Play and in the Top 5 at the Nebraska Junior Amateur. He also won the 2025 NSAA Class C Individual Title. Honnens will be a junior at Lincoln East this year, while Malone will be a senior at Kearney Catholic.
2025 Team Nebraska
Zack Erstad, Lincoln
Trevor Gutschewski, Omaha
Jaxson Hinze, Waco
Carter Honnens, Lincoln
Tommy Kelley, Omaha
Ben Kottmeyer, Lincoln
Nash Malone, Kearney
Coltrane Mittag, Ashland
2025 Team Kansas
Stuart Boulware, Fairway
Jacob Fratzel, Shawnee
Josh Fratzel, Shawnee
Regan Kueker, Wamego
Laken Matthews, Wichita
Patrick Mayo, Leawood
Luke Springer, Wichita
Henry Thompson, Lawrence
Additional information is available at the Junior Cup website below.
About NebGolf
The Nebraska Golf Association (NebGolf), founded in 1966, is comprised of all members of public and private clubs and/or municipal or regional golf associations which utilize an approved handicap service recognized by the USGA and provided by NebGolf. Our mission is to uphold and promote the game of golf and its values to all golfers in Nebraska. Among the duties of the Association include governance of member clubs and service as their handicapping and course rating authority, conduct of state golf championships, local USGA qualifying & other notable competitions, promotion of junior golf, presentation of worthwhile educational programs and support of allied golf organizations in Nebraska. The Nebraska Golf Association is an Allied Golf Association of the USGA and carries out core services including Handicap Administration and Oversight, Course Rating, Rules of Golf and Rules of Amateur Status, Tournaments and USGA Championship Qualifiers and USGA Initiatives and Community Programs.
