CARLSBAD, Calif. — BYU golfer Kihei Akina was selected to the 2026 NCAA Division I PING All-America First Team on Wednesday by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) in partnership with the Golf Channel.
“I think, in all sports, consistency is a true testament to greatness,” director of golf Todd Miller said. “If you look at Kihei’s season from the outside, it’s easy to recognize that he’s one of the top players in the country. What we get to see as coaches is his ability to manage the course and his game when things aren’t going perfectly. That ability usually comes with experience and maturity especially in golf. That is why it is so unique in our sport for a freshman to be named as a first team [All-American].”
Akina joined a list of 85 other Cougar All-American honorees as the 16th first-team selection in program history. The last time a BYU golfer received an All-American honor was Carson Lundell in 2022, and the last first-team recipient was Peter Kuest in 2020. Akina is the 11th BYU freshman to receive this honor and only the second one ever to earn first-team honors. Cougar Hall of Famer Bobby Clampett was the other golfer to accomplish that, doing so in his 1978 rookie season.
Akina displayed the most decorated freshman season in the nation. The No. 7 ranked golfer in the NCAA earned the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award on Tuesday due to being the top-ranked freshman in the country. On his way to a school record 69.05 scoring average, Akina won two collegiate events in back-to-back fashion, the R.E. Lamkin then Bridgestone Collegiate Invitationals.
The Bridgestone victory marked the lowest 54-hole tournament score in program history with a 21-under 195 (65-67-63). The Utah Open winner also accumulated two runner-up finishes, which were at The Goodwin and Big 12 Championship, in addition to seven top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes. Akina wrapped up his campaign with a T8 finish in his NCAA Championship run.
Akina took home Big 12 Freshman of the Year and All-Big 12 first team honors in May. Later in that month, he was named a Fred Haskins Award finalist. The star freshman will join team USA for the Arnold Palmer Cup on July 3-5 at Tralee Golf Club in Ireland.
“I am so happy for Kihei, his family and all of his supporters as he received this incredible honor,” Miller added.
Out of the 10 All-America first team members, Akina is the lone freshman on the list. The second and third teams will consist of 10 golfers each, with 20 more players to earn honorable mention honors.
2026 NCAA Division I PING All-America First Team
- Kihei Akina, BYU
- Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine
- Ben James, Virginia
- Filip Jakubcik, Arizona
- William Jennings, Alabama
- Jackson Koivun, Auburn
- Christiaan Maas, Texas
- Will Sides, SMU
- Harry Takis, San Diego State
- Preston Stout, Oklahoma State