Men's Golf | 5/15/2026 11:59:00 AM
THE EVENT FACTS
The Event: NCAA DII National Championships
When: Monday, 5/18-Wednesday, 5/20 (Stroke Play) and Thursday, 5/21-Friday, 5/22 (Team Match Play)
Where: Boulder Creek Golf Club - Las Vegas, NV
Follow Live: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/243270/scoring/team
THE LINEUP
1: Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium)
2: Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo)
3: Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena)
4: Jacob Wolak (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area)
5: Mario Estevez (Gijón, Spain/Colegio Montedeva de Gijón)
Sub: Kyle Westfall (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (Erie))
ERIE, Pa. — For the fifth time in the last six seasons, the Golden Knights are headed to the biggest stage. Gannon will compete in the 2026 NCAA DII men's golf national championships starting on Monday, being held at Boulder Creek Golf Club just outside of Las Vegas, NV.
Gannon is coming off an Atlantic/East regional team championship last Saturday, when they defeated Charleston (WV) on the first playoff hole to claim the title. They'll be the top seed from their region. Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) led the charge, securing a second place finish (-1) for the second straight regional competition in a row, losing out on first place in a six hole playoff.
Gannon comes into the national tournament looking to continue the momentum of a strong second half of the season. GU placed third at PSAC Championships in the fall, but since then have placed in the top 10 of every spring tournament, including a first place finish at the Vulcan Fire Classic, second place result at the Pawley's Island Beach Bash, and third at the Findianapolis Intercollegiate in a stacked field. Their second win of the spring came at the regional competition last week.
The other good news? The lineup from last year's NCAA Championship field is nearly identical to the expected one this year. Specifically, Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) (T11, -2 in 2025), Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena) (T62, +10), and Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo) (67th, +11) helped to anchor the Golden Knights lineup a season ago and will return with experience this season.
The Boulder Creek Golf Club is a beast of a golf course. Stretching to 7,595 yards, the course features a 635 yard par five and four par fours of 450 yards plus. It is divided into two distinct sections, Desert Hawk (holes 1-9) and Coyote Run (holes 10-18). The course will play as a par 72.
The tournament will feature 54 holes of stroke play from Monday to Wednesday, of which Gannon will be one of 20 teams competing. After that, the top eight scoring teams will play in a bracket style match play tournament to determine a team champion. The NCAA quarterfinals and semifinals will take place on Thursday, with the national championship match on Friday. The top ten individuals in the field will be recognized following Wednesday's round.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Rasmus Seppanen (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) (Bastad, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) - In back to back regionals, he has claimed a runner-up status and nearly took home the individual title again this year. Seppanen shot a one-under for the tournament at the Atlantic/East regional, securing the best score on the team and just being edged out for first on the sixth playoff hole. Still, he will be the golfer to watch this week again at national championships. Seppanen would finish tied for 11th at last year's NCAA competition, narrowly missing out on a podium finish. His score of two-under par included two rounds of 70 across the 54 hole tournament.
Mattia Parrini (Verolengo, Italy/Verolengo) - Parrini had a splendid ending to the regional last week, carding an even par score of 70 on Saturday to finish in the top five (T-4th). The junior has plenty of experience at the NCAA championship level, as he was Gannon's third best finisher a year ago. Parrini would finish in 67th place with a respectable score of 11-over par at PGA National last year and will look to climb the leaderboard again this season.
Jacob Wolak (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock Area) - As anticipated, Wolak had a tremendous regional outing in his first 54 hole start at that level, tying for ninth five-over par. The southpaw will make his first start at NCAA Championship competition with momentum after firing a round of 70 to conclude Atlantic/East regional competition.
Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena) - Delorenzi had great early success at national championships a year ago, when the senior finished tied for 62nd in Palm Beach Gardens to conclude the 2025 year. His score of 10-over par was bouyed by a 72 in the opening round. A key contributor with experience, he'll look to make another move in the final tournament of his collegiate career.
From Head Coach Scott Stano
"We're so excited to be back at NCAA National Championships. Our goal all season was to win the region and then compete hard for a spot in the final eight of nationals. We know how competitive this field will be. We will have to be at our absolute best for 54 consecutive holes to advance to the knockout stage. This will be an amazing opportunity for our team to compete at the highest stage at a wonderful and challenging venue. We're looking forward to the competition!"
