KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the field for the 74th-Annual NAIA Men's Golf National Championship, and No. 3 Dalton State is set to compete as an automatic qualifier at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, May 12–15, 2026.
 
The championship returns to TPC Deere Run for the 10th time since the event first visited the venue in 2009, bringing together a loaded field of national contenders for four days of championship golf.
 
"Any time you earn a spot in the national championship field, it's an accomplishment, but it's also the standard for our program," Ben Rickett, Dalton State head coach said. "TPC Deere Run is a course our program respects, and our focus will be on playing disciplined golf and staying committed to our process for four days."
 
ROADRUNNERS RETURN TO A CHAMPIONSHIP-PROVEN VENUE
Dalton State will tee it up on a course that holds a special place in program history. The Roadrunners captured the team national championship in 2021 at TPC Deere Run, proving they can win on this exact championship stage and layout. Dalton State also claimed the 2024 team national championship at Dalton Golf & Country Club, reinforcing the program's standing among the NAIA's elite.
 
With two team national titles in the last several seasons and the experience of playing for trophies on familiar terrain, Dalton State enters the 2026 championship with both momentum and expectation.
 
NATIONAL CHAMPION TRADITION RUNS DEEP
The Roadrunners' history at the NAIA National Championship includes standout individual performances at the highest level. Dalton State has produced three individual national champions:

• Sean Elliott – 2015
• S.M. Lee – 2018
• Jack Whaley – 2025

That championship pedigree—both team and individual—has become a hallmark of the program as Dalton State prepares for another run at a Red Banner.
 
BREAKDOWN OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
The NAIA's 2026 field includes 29 teams and 11 individual qualifiers.
The team field features:

• 18 teams that qualified as conference champions
• Grand View (Iowa) earning a second automatic bid from the Heart of America Athletic Conference
• 10 at-large teams selected via the final Netting Professionals NAIA Men's Golf Coaches' Top 25

The individual qualifiers earned their spots as conference medalists not on a qualifying team, members of the 2025 all-tournament team, or through at-large selection based on Clippd Scoreboard rankings.
 
LOADED FIELD INCLUDES DEFENDING CHAMP, NATIONAL POWERS, AND FIRST-TIME QUALIFIERS
Defending national champion Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is back in the field, joined by several of the NAIA's most decorated programs and newcomers making history.
Four teams will make their first appearances at the NAIA Men's Golf National Championship:

• Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.)
• Hastings (Neb.)
• IU East (Ind.)
• USAO (Okla.)

Additionally, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) qualified for the championship for the first time in 15 years.
 
Among the sport's longtime powers:

• Texas Wesleyan will make a record 57th appearance and brings an NAIA-record 12 individual national champions in its program history.
• Oklahoma City will make its 32nd appearance, owning 11 national championship Red Banners, the most in NAIA history.
• Wayland Baptist (Texas) and British Columbia will each make their 20th appearances.
• St. Ambrose (Iowa) will compete in the championship for the 19th time.

TEE TIMES AND PAIRING ANNOUNCED MAY 4
The NAIA will release May 12–13 tee times along with first- and second-round pairings on Monday, May 4, at www.naia.org.
 
2026 NAIA Men's Golf National Championship – Team Field (29)
Dalton State (Ga.) – Automatic Qualifier
Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) – At-Large • British Columbia – At-Large • Coastal Georgia – At-Large • Columbia (Mo.) – Automatic • Cumberlands (Ky.) – At-Large • Friends (Kan.) – Automatic • Grand View (Iowa) – Automatic • Hastings (Neb.) – Automatic • IU East (Ind.) – Automatic • Keiser (Fla.) – Automatic • Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) – Automatic • Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) – Automatic • Marian (Ind.) – Automatic • MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) – At-Large • Missouri Valley – Automatic • Oklahoma City – Automatic • OUAZ (Ariz.) – Automatic • Point (Ga.) – At-Large • Reinhardt (Ga.) – Automatic • Rocky Mountain (Mont.) – Automatic • Southwest (N.M.) – Automatic • St. Ambrose (Iowa) – Automatic • Texas Wesleyan – At-Large • UNOH (Ohio) – Automatic • USAO (Okla.) – At-Large • Victoria (B.C.) – Automatic • Wayland Baptist (Texas) – At-Large • Webber International (Fla.) – At-Large
 
Individual Qualifiers (11)
Seth Bishop (The Master's (Calif.)) • Francisco DeBethencourt (Milligan (Tenn.)) • Sam Dykema (Indiana Wesleyan) • Gustav Fredriksson (Cumberland (Tenn.)) • Hudson Hobbs (Arizona Christian) • Camron Jones (Grace (Ind.)) • JJ Kaczynski (Viterbo (Wis.)) • Christopher Riddle (Crowley's Ridge (Ark.)) • Jose Vidal (Oakland City (Ind.)) • Jordan Walford (Defiance (Ohio)) • Spencer Worley (William Woods (Mo.))
 
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