Nebraska Collegiate Golf Reaches New Heights in 2026 Spring Season
By Jack Kohout, NebGolf Intern
The spring of 2026 marked a defining chapter for collegiate golf in Nebraska. Across every competitive level, from NCAA Division I programs to junior colleges, the state’s golfers delivered one of the most impressive collective seasons in recent memory.
Nebraska programs captured conference championships, earned national recognition, secured individual medalist honors, and demonstrated the remarkable depth of talent developing across the state. Whether on national stages or regional fairways, Nebraska golfers proved they are among the nation’s rising powers.
Division I: Nebraska’s Premier Programs Deliver
At the NCAA Division I level, Nebraska’s top programs showcased their ability to compete with some of the nation’s most respected teams.
Rudy Sautron Headlines Historic Year for Nebraska
University of Nebraska–Lincoln junior Rudy Sautron delivered a landmark season for the Huskers, becoming the program’s first First-Team All-Big Ten selection since 2007.
Sautron’s exceptional consistency throughout the year, combined with a standout conference performance, earned him an individual berth to the NCAA Regional Championships in Marana, Arizona. He was the first Husker to earn a regional berth since 2017, and just the fifth overall.
Sautron finished tied for 25th at the Marana Regional, with a 213 (-3) total. That closed out a school-record 70.27 stroke average over 41 rounds, and he ended the season with 12-straight top-25 finishes.
The highlight of the year for the Husker women's team as a win at the MSU SoCal Spring Invitational in Camarillo, California. It was the first win for the Huskers since 2023, with Wahoo's Lauren Thiele and Sweden's Hannah Kono each finishing in the top five.
Creighton Continues Conference Momentum
The Creighton University men's golf team continued its steady rise by finishing third for the third-straight year at the BIG EAST Championship.
Grant Feldman of Austin, Texas and Owen Price led the Bluejays with fourth-place individual finishes, each earning All-BIG EAST Tournament Team honors. They finished at 210 (-6) for the tournament.
Feldman also earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors, closing his career with 11-straight rounds of par-or-better and five consecutive top-10 finishes. He set several school records, including single-season scoring average (70.38) and career scoring average (72.53).
The Creighton women finished sixth in the BIG EAST Championship, with Omaha's Julia Karmazin leading the way. The sophomore tied for 15th with a 230 (+14).
The lone-senior on the team, Morgan Becker, led the team with a 75.78 scoring average, third-best at Creighton in the past 25 years. The Fort Worth, Texas native earned All-BIG EAST honors for her performance.
Omaha Produces Memorable Postseason Moments
The University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks delivered drama and milestone achievements in the Summit League.
Seniors Katie Ruge and Emily Karmazin of Omaha both earned all-league honors. Ruge was named Second Team All-Summit League, while Karmazin was on the Honorable Mention list. The team finished seventh at the Summit League Championships, with Karmazin leading the way in a tie for 13th place.
On the men's side, Ethan Smith of Doniphan narrowly missed an individual conference title after battling through a four-way playoff for the Mavericks. The senior birdied his final hole to get into the playoff at 209 (-4), the lowest by an Omaha golfer in a conference championship. Smith eventually finished runner-up, only losing to an eagle on the first playoff hole. He earned an All-Summit League Tournament Team selection.
Sam Vocelka added a historic highlight by recording Omaha’s first-ever Summit League Championship hole-in-one.
Division II: Championship Success Across Nebraska
Nebraska’s Division II programs enjoyed one of their strongest seasons to date, highlighted by multiple conference championships and individual breakthroughs.
UNK’s Team Depth Powers MIAA Title
The University of Nebraska at Kearney women's team qualified for the NCAA Championship for the second time in program history.
The Lopers won the MIAA Championship and four regular season tournaments, earning them a bid to the NCAA Central Regional. It was the second MIAA win for the Lopers, who finished with a 907 (+67) total to win by two strokes over Washburn. Junior Liz Lyons finished runner-up at 223 (+13), one stroke back.
All five Loper golfers finished within the top 16, a testament to the program’s depth. Pella Broms earned Second-Team All-MIAA honors, while Lyons secured All-MIAA Tournament Team recognition.
In the NCAA Central Regional, the Lopers finished runner-up by two strokes to Southwestern Oklahoma State with a 928 (+22) total. Lyons again led the way, tying for sixth. That earned UNK one of five spots in the championship, where they finished 18th.
Wayne State Captures NSIC Championship
Wayne State College’s women’s team delivered one of the state’s premier accomplishments by claiming the NSIC team title.
Gaia Stancikova captured individual medalist honors after prevailing in a dramatic four-hole playoff, while Erica Lee and Saffire Sayre added top-five finishes to secure Wayne State’s championship victory.
Stancikova was named First Team NSIC All-Conference, thanks to her two wins and a school record 76.80 season scoring average. Nick Swaney earned NSIC Coach of the Year for leading the team to the conference title and a second-straight NCAA Central Regional appearance. Lee and Hailey Kenkel, both juniors, were named Second Team All-Conference.
Chadron State Shows Competitive Strength
Chadron State battled difficult weather conditions to finish tied for sixth at the RMAC Championships, with Macy Kleve leading the Eagles through a top-10 individual finish.The freshman earned All-RMAC Second Team honors.
NAIA and Division III: Nebraska’s Small Colleges Make National Statements
Some of the most remarkable accomplishments of the season came from Nebraska’s NAIA and Division III institutions.
Hastings College Builds National Reputation
Hastings College authored one of the finest seasons in school history, dominating the GPAC Championship before finishing third at the NAIA National Championship.
The Broncos’ success was fueled by a collection of elite individual performances. Henry Kosmicki of Grand Island earned GPAC Golfer of the Year honors and was named a NAIA Third-Team All-American.
Junior Max Nielsen captured the GPAC tournament title, the first Bronco to do so. Sophomore Taiki Sugawara finished second behind him. Along with senior Ryker Dunkley, all four were named first-team all GPAC. Skyler Good and Gabe Escalera were named the GPAC Coaches of the Year.
Dunkley led the way at the NAIA National Championship, finishing tied for seventh at 286 (+6). The Broncos were third overall, the highest-ever finish for a GPAC school, with a 45-over total.
Bellevue University Takes on New Conference
The Bellevue University Bruins stacked up well in their first year in the Frontier Conference Championship, with both men's and women's teams finishing runner-up.
Shreya Suresh of Florida tied for fourth and was named the Frontier Conference Freshman of the Year, as well as First Team All-Conference. Isabella Gomez and Patricija Jakovleva also recorded top-10 finishes, with Gomez being named to the Second Team All-Conference.
Senior Thomas Gatlin of Lincoln led the men's team to a runner-up finish as well, taking third individually. Four Bruins in total finished in the top-10, with Ludwig Klingspor, Dylan Rogers and Randy Christiansen joining Gatlin. Gatlin and Rodgers earned First Team All-Conference honors, with Christiansen, Klingspor and Kyle Dale making the Second Team.
Nebraska Wesleyan Stays Near Top in ARC
The Nebraska Wesleyan men's team finished runner-up at the American Rivers Conference Championship for a fourth-straight year. Senior Jackson Lapour of Omaha led the way with a third-place finish, while Jacob Cosimano and Travis Tilford also made the top-10. All three players earned ARC All-Conference honors.
Doane Women Load Up All-GPAC Team
Doane’s women secured a second-place GPAC finish, with four players earning a spot on All-Conference teams. Connie Jarm and Kaitlyn Dumler were First Team All-GPAC, while a couple more Tigers made Second Team All-GPAC, including Payton Morgan and Jamisyn Kirkpatrick.
Broad Success Across Nebraska’s Smaller Programs
Nebraska’s NAIA depth showed with College of Saint Mary placing third and Concordia University women fourth in the GPAC. Victoria Farkas of CSM and Emery Custer of Concordia both were First Team All-GPAC, while Hastings College's Tyesha Tynes made the Second Team. A pair of Doane men's teammates, Josh Wassmer and Heidar Bjarnason, earned Second Team All-GPAC honors. Several others made Honorable Mention in the GPAC.
Junior Colleges: Building Nebraska’s Next Wave
Nebraska’s junior college programs further strengthened the state’s reputation for developing competitive golf talent. Southeast Community College upheld their reputation for stellar play, led by head coach Calvin Freeman. The Bobcats advanced to the NJCAA Division II National Championship for the second-straight year, and finished sixth. Cael Peters paced the team with a T-11 finish, while Tate Redinger finished T-21. Northeast Community College was not far behind at the National Championship, finishing in 10th place, led by D'Arcy Whyte at T-31. All five starters earned various All-Region honors. Collectively, Nebraska’s junior colleges demonstrated that the state’s golf pipeline remains exceptionally strong, producing athletes prepared to compete at higher collegiate levels.
Nebraska Golf’s Future Has Arrived
The 2026 spring season was more than a successful year. It was a statement. From Division I history-makers to NAIA national contenders and emerging junior college stars, Nebraska collegiate golf demonstrated momentum and statewide excellence.
About NebGolf
The Nebraska Golf Association, 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 the NGA. 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.
