St. Mary's senior
Kongpop Kaikaew was named the 2026 Lone Star Conference Men's Golf Player of the Year to lead the annual postseason men's golf awards announced by league officials on Sunday (April 19) at the championship banquet at Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club in Rockwall, Texas.
Kaikaew, who is from Rayong, Thailand, leads the conference with a 70.1 adjusted scoring average. He won the DBU Classic (7-under-par) and Skip Wagnon Invitational (13-under-par). Kaikaew also had four other top-10 finishes. He is the No. 7-ranked golfer in all of NCAA Division II and is tops in the South Central Region.
Kaikaew topped the six-golfer All-Conference First Team that also included teammate
Baptiste Touchard;
Sam Jenkins of DBU;
Seth Bearden of Midwestern State;
Will Tate of UT Permian Basin; and
Luis Palomo of West Texas A&M. Tournament medalist
David Vega Gerstel from West Texas A&M also earned All-Conference First Team recognition.
UT Permian Basin junior
Nizar Bourehim took Newcomer of the Year honors after a 72.9 adjusted scoring average and a win at the The Hrnciar (10-under-par). UT Tyler's
Blake Harwell was tabbed Freshman of the Year after posting an adjusted scoring average of 72.3 and three top-15 finishes. Bourehim was a Second Team All-Conference selection, while Harwell earned honorable mention.
Connor McCarthy of St. Mary's and
Axel Ochoa of West Texas A&M shared Coach of the Year honors after each posting five top-3 finishes and having their squads ranked in the top 20 in the nation. McCarthy wins the LSC honor for the second straight year, while Ochoa gets the nod for the first time.
In total, 16players earned recognition. The awards are voted upon by the league coaches.
2026 LSC MEN'S GOLF ALL-CONFERENCE
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Player of the Year: Kongpop Kaikaew, St. Mary's
Newcomer of the Year: Nizar Bourehim, UT Permian Basin
Freshman of the Year: Blake Harwell, UT Tyler
Co-Coaches of the Year: Connor McCarthy, St. Mary's; Axel Ochoa, West Texas A&M
Teams sorted alphabetically by institution.
| FIRST TEAM |
|
|
|
| Player |
Team |
Year |
Hometown |
| Sam Jenkins |
DBU |
Sr. |
Rockwall, Texas |
| Seth Bearden |
Midwestern State |
Sr. |
Crowell, Texas |
| Kongpop Kaikaew |
St. Mary's |
Sr. |
Rayong, Thailand |
| Baptiste Touchard |
St. Mary's |
Sr. |
Saint Agathon, France |
| Will Tate |
UT Permian Basin |
Sr. |
Reading, England, United Kingdom |
| # David Vega Gerstel |
West Texas A&M |
Fr. |
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain |
| Luis Palomo |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Barcelona, Spain |
| # 2026 LSC Championship Medalist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SECOND TEAM |
|
|
|
| Player |
Team |
Year |
Hometown |
| Rory Gorman |
Cameron |
Sr. |
Brisbane, Australia |
| Guillaume Paquette |
St. Mary's |
So. |
Quebec, Canada |
| Juan Monckeberg |
Texas A&M International |
Sr. |
Santiago, Chile |
| Nizar Bourehim |
UT Permian Basin |
Jr. |
Rabat, Morocco |
| Ioan Rowe |
UT Permian Basin |
Jr. |
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Santiago Caride |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Bariloche, Argentina |
|
|
|
|
| HONORABLE MENTION |
|
|
|
| Player |
Team |
Year |
Hometown |
| Daniel Ferguson |
DBU |
Fr. |
Duncanville, Texas |
| Tyler Durden |
UT Dallas |
Sr. |
Austin, Texas |
| Blake Harwell |
UT Tyler |
Fr. |
League City, Texas |