NORMAN, Okla. (August 5, 2026) – The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) recognized The University of Texas Permian Basin men's golf team with the PLATFORM Golf Team Academic Award for the 2025-26 season. The Falcons were one of 26 schools from NCAA Division II with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

This is the first time the Falcons have been named an All-Academic Team by the GCAA.

This academic year, UTPB earned the Presidents Special Recognition, which means as a team their collective cumulative GPA was a 3.5 or higher. The Falcons were one of 26 Division II institutions to be recognized as a Presidents Special Recognition. In total 155 schools across all divisions earned this recognition.

A GCAA-record 331 schools across six divisions earned a PLATFORM Golf Team Academic Award. 155 schools received Presidents Special Recognition for having an average team GPA of 3.5 or above in 2025-26.

UTPB Head Golf Coach Paul Chavez said, "Congratulations to the Falcon men's golf team on this extraordinary accomplishment. This exemplifies the dedication that our student-athletes put into academic excellence. A job well done."

Earlier this week week, Ioan Rowe, Nizar Bourehim and Thonsaeng Nunya were all named 2025-26 Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars (minimum 3.2 GPA), while all nine members of the 2025-26 UTPB men's golf team had a GPA of at least 3.0.

2025-26 UTPB Men's Golf Roster:
Juan Elias – 4.0 Cum GPA
Thonsaeng Nunya – 3.28 Cum GPA
Ioan Rowe – 3.59 Cum GPA
Will Tate – 3.11 Cum GPA
Nizar Bourehim – 3.56 Cum GPA
Dominic Dodson – 3.69 Cum GPA
Laurent Beech – 3.9 Cum GPA
Henry Wang – 4.0 Cum GPA
Quinn Robertson – 3.03 Cum GPA

UTPB did not just excel in the classroom, but also on the course.

In 2025-26, UTPB posted two tournament wins at The Hrnciar (Oct. 6-7, 2025) and at the Midwestern State Invitational (Mar. 23-24, 2026), and was the top NCAA Division II team (2nd overall) at the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invitational (Oct. 14-15). The 2025-26 Falcons tied for first in school history for most tournaments won in a single season. At the Ryan Palmer, UTPB tied the program single-round record (273) and broke the three-round record (835) by eight strokes. The Falcons later tied the highest national 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. UTPB finished the season ranked No. 30 in NCAA Division II and No. 7 in the South Central Region in the Clippd Scoreboard rankings. UTPB closed out the 2026 LSC Championship in sixth place. UTPB was then seeded No. 5 in the South Central Region and earned an at-large bid to participate in regional competition of the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships. The Falcons finished the 2026 NCAA West/South Central Regional Tournament in a tie for 18th place.

About Platform Golf
PLATFORM Golf is transforming the future of golf through immersive, performance driven technology that brings real world slope, lie, and putting conditions into the golf simulator experience. Its patented solutions, TrueBreak™, TruePR™, and the market defining TrueSlope™, are trusted by top coaches, elite programs, private clubs, and performance centers worldwide. As both a category leader and technology enabler, PLATFORM Golf partners with golf's best instructors and most innovative brands, including a recent partnership with Trackman, to elevate training, coaching, and competitive play across every level of the game.

About GCAA
Established in 1958, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) is the professional organization of men's collegiate golf coaches. The GCAA's mission is to support its member coaches from six divisions, including the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, by creating educational opportunities, providing resources, and promoting its members with the purpose of enhancing their overall performance as coaches, mentors, and teachers. The GCAA also recognizes the excellence and achievements of its members and their student-athletes in academic, athletic, and civic endeavors.