Wallace named GCAA Region V Coach of the Year

6/9/2026 2:05:00 PM

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced Tuesday that Kenyon College's Grant Wallace was named the 2026 Golf Pride Grips Region V Coach of the Year.

The regional honor was the third in Wallace's Kenyon career, which now spans 14 seasons as head coach of the Owls men's program. He previously earned the honor at the conclusion of the 2018 and 2024 seasons.

Wallace and his 2026 Kenyon team are coming off a season in which they tied for sixth place at the NCAA Division III Championship in Florida. Not only was that the best national finish in program history, but sophomore Adrian Jordan's tie for third place on the individual NCAA leaderboard was also a program best.

During the regular season, Wallace's team played nine tournaments and chalked up five top-five finishes. At the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championship, the Owls took a third-place finish prior to receiving an at-large berth in the national championship. The 2026 team's 18-hole scoring average of 73.51 went down as the second-best mark in program history.

Across all tournaments, regular season and postseason, the Owls had a 170-74 win-loss record (.696) in comparing their finishes to the finishes of opponents playing in the same tournaments.

Five of Wallace's players were named to the 2026 All-NCAC Team, including first-teamers Jonathan Oakes, a junior, and Connor Gray, a sophomore. Oakes, for the second straight season, was named the NCAC Player of the Year. Both Oakes and Gray went on to be named GCAA PING All-Region honorees, as well.

Wallace, who took over the Kenyon men's golf program in the spring of 2013, has coached a total of 44 All-NCAC players, including two Newcomers of the Year and four who combined for five NCAC Player of the Year awards. He's also coached 15 PING All-Region honorees and, to date, three players who earned a total of four GCAA/PING All-America accolades.

Wallace is a four-time NCAC Coach of the Year and has directed 21 career tournament wins. His 2026 team started the season ranked at No. 17 nationally and moved as high as No. 10 before settling at a final national rank of No. 11.

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