ODESSA, Texas (April 19, 2026) – The University of Texas Permian Basin men's golf team set a new program record with three golfers named to the 2026 All-Lone Star Conference Team. Will Tate became the second player in program history to be named First-Team All-LSC. His teammates, Ioan Rowe and Nizar Bourehim, were both named to the second-team while Bourehim also became the second Falcon to win the LSC Newcomer of the Year award.

UTPB Head Golf Coach Paul Chavez said, "This year's team has established itself as one of the top teams in the conference, and as a result, individuals will be recognized. With three Falcons being named to the all-conference teams, this historical moment signifies how much work and dedication these young men have put into the program. Everyone receiving these honors is well-deserved and should be recognized."

UTPB (1 First-Team, 2 Second-Team) ties St. Mary's University (2 First-Team, 1 Second-Team) with the most all-conference players in the LSC this season.

Will Tate – Sr. – First-Team All-LSC
Will Tate played in all nine tournaments and 26 rounds during the regular season, and posted a 70.8 adjusted scoring average. He won one tournament (Midwestern State Invitational), totaled seven top-10 finishes, and finished top-25 in all nine tournaments. He has a current NCAA Division II National Ranking of No. 31 and is ranked No. 4 in the South Central Region. He led the Falcons in six of nine tournaments during the regular season and has finished in the top-10 in all five tournaments this Spring. In addition, he has finished under-par in four tournaments this season, including a score of 10-under in each of the last two tournaments heading into the postseason.

Tate put together three straight top-15 finishes to open up the season, finishing seventh at the Shootout at PGA Rivera Maya, ninth at The Hrnciar, and 13th at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite. His biggest highlight of the season came this Spring as he successfully defended his 2025 Midwestern State individual championship. The senior led the tournament after each of the three rounds and posted a 10-under score. With a three-round score of 203, Tate's score is a new program record by one stroke. In addition, with two individual championships now in his career, Tate ranks second all-time in wins at UTPB. Following the win at Midwestern State, Tate was named the LSC Men's Golfer of the Week (3/26/2026) for the third time in his career. He was later named the UTPB Men's Student-Athlete of the Month for the second time this year (September 2025, March 2026) and for the fifth time in the last two seasons.

This is Tate's second-career All-LSC recognition after earning second-team honors last year (2024-25). He is the second Falcon in program history to be named First-Team All-LSC and is also the second to earn two All-LSC certificates.

Ioan Rowe – Jr. – Second-Team All-LSC
Ioan Rowe played in all nine tournaments and 26 rounds during the regular season, and posted a 71.7 adjusted scoring average. He totaled three top-10 finishes and six top-25 finishes. He has a current NCAA Division II National Ranking of No. 78 and is ranked No. 12 in the South Central Region. Rowe has three top-four finishes this season: The Hrnciar (2nd), the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational (3rd), and the Rattler Invitational (4th).

He has finished under-par in three tournaments this season, including a score of nine-under at The Hrnciar. Rowe went eight-under during round two of The Hrnciar, the best individual round of any Falcon this season. With his second-round score of 64, Rowe tied for the third-lowest single round score in program history. It was also a tournament record. As the Fall season continued, Rowe was named the LSC Men's Golfer of the Week (10/16/2025) after taking third place in the field of 89 total golfers at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational. He was later named UTPB's Men's Student-Athlete of the Month for October after finishing second at The Hrnciar and third at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational. This Spring, Rowe highlighted the Shadow Valley Invitational by shooting back-to-back eagles on a par-4 and a par-5, becoming the first player in program history to accomplish the extremely rare feat. Rowe performed his magic on the par-4 hole two (374 yards) and the par-5 hole three (502 yards) during round three.

Nizar Bourehim – Jr. – Newcomer of the Year, Second-Team All-LSC
Nizar Bourehim played in all nine tournaments and 26 rounds during the regular season, and posted a 72.9 adjusted scoring average. He won one tournament (The Hrnciar), totaled two top-10 finishes, and finished top-25 in four tournaments. He has a current NCAA Division II National Ranking of No. 146 and is ranked No. 23 in the South Central Region.

Bourehim has finished under-par in two tournaments this season, including a score of 10-under to win The Hrnciar. Bourehim won The Hrnciar by one stroke over teammate Ioan Rowe, and was the only player in the field of 76 golfers to shoot under-par during all three rounds. With the win, Bourehim became just the fourth-ever UTPB golfer to win a tournament. Heading into the postseason, Bourehim is coming around at the right time, finishing in the top-25 in each of the last three tournaments of the regular season.

"Nizzy was my first recruit/transfer from New Mexico State University and has done a great job of coming in and filling in the gaps, and just overall doing a great job of not only being a great teammate, but also being a solid contributor to this team," said Coach Chavez. "For him to win conference newcomer of the year is very special for me."

FALCONS SET SIGHTS ON LSC CHAMPIONSHIP
As a team, UTPB has two tournament wins under its belt this season at The Hrnciar (Oct. 6-7) and the Midwestern State Invitational (Mar. 23-24), and was the top NCAA Division II team (2nd overall) at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational (Oct. 14-15). At the Ryan Palmer, UTPB tied the program single-round record (273) and broke the three-round record (835) by eight strokes. The Falcons also tied the highest ranking in program history after ranking as high as No. 11 in the country and second in the South Central Region in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings (Clippd Scoreboard rankings) in late-October.

The Falcons will now take part in the LSC Championship starting tomorrow at the Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club in Rockwall, Texas. Stroke play begins on Monday, April 20, and continues on Tuesday, April 21. Medal match play will be Wednesday, April 22. UTPB is currently ranked No. 23 in NCAA Division II and No. 6 in the South Central Region in the Clippd Scoreboard rankings.