The University of Illinois Fighting Illini men’s golf team will begin its pursuit of a national title at the NCAA Athens Regional, set to take place from May 18 to May 20 at the University of Georgia Golf Course. The No. 12-ranked Illini will compete against thirteen programs and ten individual qualifiers, aiming for a spot in the upcoming NCAA Championship.
This event is significant as it marks Illinois’ eighteenth consecutive appearance in an NCAA Regional and provides another opportunity for the team to advance to the championship round, a feat achieved sixteen times in their last seventeen attempts. The regional tournament format features three days of play with eighteen holes each day; the top five teams and lowest-scoring individual not on those teams will move on to nationals.
The field includes strong competition such as No. 1 Auburn, No. 13 Vanderbilt, No. 24 BYU, host Georgia (No. 26), and other ranked programs like Louisville and Kansas. Illinois enters as the second seed among eleven teams ranked inside the top sixty-five nationally. Individual qualifiers include players from Louisiana, South Alabama, Coastal Carolina, UAB, Stetson, North Alabama, Kennesaw State, Fairfield, and Alabama A&M.
Head coach Mike Small leads Illinois into its twenty-fourth regional since 1989 and has guided them through eighteen consecutive berths since taking over in the early 2000s. According to the official website, Small’s tenure has seen seven regional titles—second-most in NCAA history—and numerous individual medalist honors by players such as Max Herendeen (2024 Stanford), Michael Feagles (2019 Myrtle Beach), Nick Hardy (2017 West Lafayette), Brian Campbell (2015 Noblesville/2014 Sugar Grove), and Luke Guthrie (2011 Central).
The team’s lineup features Ryan Voois at No.1 followed by Max Herendeen, Freddie Turnell, Dane Huddleston, Trey Marrion with Jake Birdwell as alternate; several have prior postseason experience either with Illinois or other collegiate programs. According to the official website, Fighting Illini Men’s Golf competes under NCAA Division I guidelines within the Big Ten Conference while promoting values like team spirit and academic achievement.
Live scoring will be available via Clippd Scoreboard throughout all rounds with recaps posted daily on FightingIllini.com; streaming coverage is offered through BabygrandeGolf.com by subscription. The low five teams plus one individual from each regional site advance to compete for a national championship berth later this month.
