Palm Coast, FL – Blustery conditions tested student-athletes on day one of the 2026 NCCAA Golf National Championships from the Hammock Beach Conservatory Course on Monday, October 19.
Facing wind gusts up to 35 mph, Wayland Baptist University was undeterred on the women’s side, as the Pioneers hold a three-stroke lead over defending national champions Bethel University after day one. On the men’s side, the last two NCCAA men’s golf national champions, OUAZ and Wayland Baptist, finished the first day deadlocked, as both sides shot a 16-over, 304 to hold the top spot on the team leaderboards and hold an eight-stroke lead for first.
 
Men’s Highlights

• Corley McLernon could not be stopped for the Spirit, as he leads the men’s individual leaderboard, shooting a 71, one-under in the first round. McLernon picked up a birdie on the third hole, par 3, before tallying par on 15 straight holes to be the lone finisher under par on the first day,and holds a four stroke lead among individuals.
• Six players all sit tied for second after shooting a three-over, 75 on day one. Tanner Doeden from the University of Northwestern, who birdied his first hole of the day, sits tied with Grayson Head of Asbury University, Sacha Brendle, August Nord, and Maxime Olivo of Wayland Baptist University, and Liam Toole from OUAZ. Head and Nord also recorded a pair of birdies in the opening round, while Brendle birdied two of his last three holes to move up to second.
• Jedd Thomas of OUAZ and Amaury Waters from Bethel University finished the first round with a four-over, 76 to tie for eighth on the opening day of play.
• The top-10 concludes with a four-way tie for tenth, as Alfonso Aguye Rodriguez of Judson University, Victor Siguier and Earl Williams of Bethel, and DJ Waller of Bob Jones University all finished with a five-over, 77. Rodriguez, Siguier and Williams all birdied the 18^th hole to finish the day, as Williams charged ahead with three birdies in the last four holes to finish strong.
• Gehrig Galvin of Asbury and Talan Marcum from Alice Lloyd College recorded the lone eagles of the day, doing so on their final hole of the afternoon on the par-five 18^th hole.
• Braddock Foster of Arlington Baptist University is the leading medalist qualifier, sitting tied for 21^st with a nine-over, 81. Foster carded three total birdies, including back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth holes. 

Women’s Highlights

• Looking to repeat as the individual medalist, Isabelle Victoria Soh of Wayland Baptist University opened strong with three birdies in her first nine holes to hold a one-stroke lead after shooting a three-over, 75 this afternoon.
• Three women all sit tied for second, as Karisa Dyer of Bethel University, Ellen Lonergan of Wayland Baptist, and individual medalist Morgan Philyaw of the University of Northwestern all finished the opening round with a four-over, 76.
• Camille Short of Grace College holds a two-stroke lead to hold the fifth-place spot by herself, shooting a five-over, 77. Short rebounded from a rough back-nine after starting on the tenth hole to shoot one-under on the front nine, recording a birdie on hole three.
• Megan Bishop and Ellie Webster sit tied for sixth after shooting a pair of seven-over, 79s on the first day of competition. Bishop picked up a trio of birdies on the day, including on the 16^th and 18^th holes.
• The top-ten closes out with a five-way tie for fifth place between Izzy Aigner of Bethel, Conleigh Wilson of Campbellsville University, Macie Doherty of OUAZ, and Bia Mesquita and Juanita Villafane of Wayland Baptist all shooting an 8-over 80.

 
What’s Next?
The second round of the 2026 NCCAA Golf National Championships will begin on Tuesday, October 20 at 8:00 a.m. with split tee pairings. The men will tee-off of hole one and the women will tee-off hole 10. Daily results and links to live scoring can be found at thenccaa.org on the men’s and women’s golf national championship pages.

About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 24 national championship events for 86 member schools across 28 states and Ontario, Canada. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.