Politano Qualifies for Indiviudal NCAA Regionals, Named to Big Ten All-Freshman Team
May 06 | Men's Golf
Koenig Named Sportsmanship Nominee
Rutgers freshman Lucas Politano had himself quite the day.
The Brandon, Vermont, native earned All-Freshman Team honors from the Big Ten Conference, the league announced, recognizing a standout debut season for the Scarlet Knights. Later that afternoon, during the Golf Channel's 2:30 p.m. broadcast, Politano learned he was one of 45 collegiate golfers selected to compete as an individual in the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Regionals. He will compete at the Columbus Regional, hosted by Ohio State at Ohio State Golf Club, beginning May 18.
Politano becomes the first freshman under head coach Rob Shutte—now in his 14th season—to qualify for the NCAA Championships, and the first Scarlet Knight overall to do so since Chris Gotterup in 2019-20.
Politano, who joined the program in the fall of 2025, made an immediate impact in the lineup, posting a 72.25 stroke average during his freshman campaign. He recorded seven rounds in the 60s and finished 11 rounds under par, consistently delivering in a competitive conference.
The freshman highlighted his season with a runner-up finish at the Canadian Intercollegiate, where he set a Rutgers program record for 54 holes at 18-under par. During that event, Politano also established a new school mark for lowest single round with a 9-under performance.
"Lucas Politano is the first Rutgers freshman to go to NCAAs, and to have a freshman hit the ground running is a rarity," head coach Rob Shutte said. "He's carried that responsibility and embraced the opportunity. The sky is the limit for him. He's a gamer who loves the bright spotlights, and he's going to get that at NCAAs."
Politano added several strong finishes throughout the year, including a tie for 10th at the Marquette Intercollegiate and a tie for 12th at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate. He also placed T-15 at the Hoosier Collegiate, T-27 at The Johnnie-O, and T-38 at the 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational. He capped his postseason with a T-23 finish at the Big Ten Championships and was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week once during the season.
Additionally, senior Luke Koenig was recognized for his leadership and integrity, earning Rutgers' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
"Excited for Luke Koenig to be recognized—he's a quiet leader with consistent integrity," Shutte said.
Politano's All-Freshman Team selection, along with Koenig's sportsmanship honor, highlights both the on-course success and character of the Scarlet Knights program as it continues to build momentum.
Below are the Big Ten's 2026 men's golf awards:
Player of the Year: Jaden Dumdumaya, USC
Freshman of the Year: Josh Kim, UCLA (*Unanimous)
Coach of the Year: Armen Kirakossian, UCLA
First Team All-Big Ten (Alphabetical)
Jack Buchanan, USC
Jaden Dumdumaya, USC
Max Herendeen, Illinois
Dane Huddleston, Illinois
Josh Kim, UCLA
Baylor Larrabee, UCLA
Trey Marrion, Illinois
Daniel Svärd, Northwestern
Rudy Sautron, Nebraska
Ryan Voois, Illinois
Second Team All-Big Ten (Alphabetical)
Sam Easterbrook, Purdue
Emil Borrestuen Herstad, Washington
Jacob Goode, Washington
Finn Koelle, Washington
Aiden Krafft, Oregon
Emil Riegger, Maryland
Ryan Shellberg, Iowa
Rowan Sullivan, Northwestern
Freddie Turner, Illinois
Chun-Ta Wu, Purdue
All-Freshman Team (Alphabetical)
Sebastian Desoisa, Oregon
Emil Borrestuen Herstad, Washington
Josh Kim, UCLA
Tyler Loree, UCLA
Lucas Politano, Rutgers
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Illinois: Ethan Wilson
Indiana: Caleb Schnarr
Iowa: Chance Rinkol
Maryland: Griffin Barke
Michigan: Nilay Naik
Minnesota: Jack Wetzel
Michigan St: Ashton McCulloch
Nebraska: James Ackerman
Northwestern: Jeremy Chen
Ohio State: Topher Reed
Oregon: TBD
Penn State: Tim Peters
Purdue: Kentaro Nanayama
Rutgers: Luke Koenig
UCLA: Matt Yamin
USC: Jaden Dumdumaya
Washington: Grady Millar
Wisconsin: Spencer Turtz
Players Mentioned
