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Kenyon College Athletics

Kenyon Men's Golf
Andy Mead/YCJ

2026 Men's Golf Season Preview

GAMBIER, Ohio – After returning nearly a full roster from last season and looking to build upon a strong fall slate, the Kenyon College men's golf team hopes to continue its recent success by regaining the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) crown and competing in the NCAA Championship for the third consecutive season. 

2024-2025 Review
The Owls logged nine finishes inside the top ten last season and recorded a team win at the Dan Caschera Classic. The squad took second place in the NCAC Championships before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championships in New York, marking the second time in as many years the team competed in the event. Kenyon climbed as high as fifth among the best teams in the country before slotting into a T-13 after all four rounds were completed. Jonathan Oakes, a sophomore at the time, finished in a tie for eighteenth place on the individual leaderboard. Fellow sophomores Oliver McGovern and Jaiden Koonar, placed 32nd and 55th, respectively, in the NCAA field of 225 golfers.  

Fall 2025 Review
Kenyon's fall slate included four tournaments, and the team placed inside the top-10 in three of them. The Owls' best finish came in the Wabash College Invitational, where they took fifth place. Individually, Oakes and Koonar, now juniors, led the way. Oakes posted a team-best 73.50 scoring average, while Koonar cranked out a 74.00 average. 
 
Coaching Staff
Head coach Grant Wallace enters his 13th full season coaching Kenyon, leading a program that has seen a major upswing in recent seasons. The 2024 campaign was, perhaps, the best in program history, as that team ultimately finished in a tie for eighth place at the NCAA Division III Championship and brought home their second NCAC title in three years. The Owls backed up their performance with another NCAA Championship berth and a runner-up finish at the NCAC Championship in 2025. Wallace earned the conference's Coach of the Year honor four times and his golfers have combined to earn 40 all-conference honors.. 
 
Preseason Polls
In its final check on results of the fall season in October, the Golf Coaches Association America put Kenyon 16th in its Bushnell/Golfweek DIII Coaches Poll. In the most recent national poll from Scoreboard Powered by clippd, the Owls were ranked at No. 18. In the Scoreboard individual player ranking, Oakes holds on to the No. 49 spot, sophomore Connor Gray is at No. 153 and Koonar is ranked at No. 168. 

Returning All-Conference Honorees
Oakes returns to Kenyon for his junior season after earning the Dick Gordin Award last season, presented annually to the North Coast Athletic Conference's Player of the Year. He also joined Koonar among the all-conference first team selections. Adrian Jordan, a sophomore this season, looks to continue his success after earning an All-NCAC second team spot, while juniors Rafael Frias IV and McGovern rounded out the Owls' honorees with 2025 all-conference third team awards. 
 
Returning Statistical Leaders
During the fall slate, Oakes led the team with a 73.50 scoring average, logging the team's lone individual top 10 finish. He heads into his junior season with a career scoring average of 72.72. Koonar and Gray were not far behind, averaging 74.00 and 74.58, respectively, in the fall. First-year Andrew Hahn (75.11), Jordan (75.25) and Frias (75.44) round out the Owls' fall averages. 
 
Schedule Overview
Spring season opener: Monday-Tuesday, March 3 at Savannah Invitational (Savannah, GA)
NCAC championship: Friday-Sunday, May 1-3 (Warren, OH)
 
How to Follow
Fans can follow Kenyon men's golf throughout the season via the following links:
Live coverage (stats and video) - https://athletics.kenyon.edu/live
Twitter and Instagram - @KenyonSports
YouTube - @KenyonAthletics

 
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