ODESSA, Texas (September 7, 2026) – After finishing 2025-26 as one of two Falcons' sports team to qualify for the NCAA postseason, The University of Texas Permian Basin men's golf team was mentioned in the receiving votes category of the Preseason 2026-27 Bushnell/Golfweek DII Coaches' Poll to start the upcoming season.

Defending National Champion Mocs Top Preseason 2026-27 Bushnell/Golfweek DIII Coaches' Poll
Beginning their title defense at The National Preview September 28-29, Florida Southern starts 2026-27 at No. 1 in the Preseason 2026-27 Bushnell/Golfweek DII Coaches' Poll. The Mocs, who won the program's 14th NCAA Division II National Championship on May 22, earned 13 first-place votes and 430 points on September 4. Lee (two first-place votes), Georgia Southwestern, Grand Valley State, and Columbus State rounded out the top five, while Wingate, Nova Southeastern, Lincoln Memorial, Catawba, and Central Oklahoma completed the top 10.

Ranked teams in the poll from the Lone Star Conference are No. 13 St. Mary's, No. 16 West Texas A&M and No. 24 Dallas Baptist. Joining UTPB in the receiving votes category is Oklahoma Christian, UT Tyler and Midwestern State.

UTPB 2025-26 Season Review
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 with a 96-49-3 record, a weighted average of 41.57, and an adjusted scoring average of 289.2.

It was a strong season for the Falcons as they finished among the top-six in eight of 11 tournaments, shot under 300 as a team in 24 of 32 rounds, and shot under-par as a team in eight rounds. Following the conclusion of the regular season, UTPB set a new program record with three golfers named to the 2026 All-Lone Star Conference Team and tied St. Mary's with the most all-conference players in the LSC this season. Senior Will Tate became the second player in program history to be named First-Team All-LSC and 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 (311-289-305; 905; +41) closed out the 2026 Lone Star Conference Championship in sixth place. Entering the final round in fourth place, UTPB was paired with Midwestern State and St. Mary's for the final round of stroke play, but was unable to stay in front of either team in an effort to qualify for Medal Match play for the first time in program history. Individually, Tate (77-69-72; 218; +2), became first UTPB golfer with two top-five finishes (All-Tournament honors) at the conference championship, finishing in third place after shooting plus-two.

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. It was the Falcons third regional appearance as a team in the last four seasons, but was the first such appearance under Head Coach Paul Chavez. The Falcons finished the 2026 NCAA West/South Central Regional Tournament just as they started it, in a tie for 18th place. UTPB posted a 54-hole total of 22-over (886) and was led by Tate, who totaled one-under (215) for the tournament to finish in 10th place. Tate just missed a spot in the NCAA Championships by two strokes. Tate's 10th-place finish was the third-best among all UTPB players at the regional championship while his one-under was tied for the third-lowest par-score in program history at the championship.

"We obviously have some great momentum heading into the new season this year and it is nice to be recognized, but our goal is top become a top-10 program, and I feel like this team can push to that level," spoke Coach Chavez. "We have a great mix of core players returning, transfer student-athletes and incoming freshmen who bring lots of talent, skill and depth to our team."

UTPB will begins its 2025-26 season on Monday, September 14, at The Dewsweeper Invitational hosted by St. Mary's University at TPC San Antonio.

About the 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. For more information, please visit gcaa.coach.