After just four fall-season golf meets, the Eagles are already showing how they are the best NJCAA D-II golf team in the nation.
Last year, Kirkwood finished fourth as a team at the national tournament, while standout freshman Ted Sargeant tied for third individually.
Of that team, Kirkwood returns eight of its 10 golfers, including three top 50 national finishers.
This talent pool was on full display at the 2026 NJCAA Fall Preview tournament that took place at the beginning of September. The event took place at the national tournament venue in Plymouth, Indiana, and it was a good opportunity for golfers to become familiar with the course.
How did they fare?
Simply, they won the tournament by 18 shots.
The best junior college golf teams around the nation were invited, and none of them came close to Kirkwood’s score.
Sophomore Isaiah Zoske took home the second highest individual score in the tournament, golfing an eight under-par round.
“We go to every tournament and we feel like we’re the best team there,” said Sargeant. “We’ve got unreal sophomores who have played well, and then we’ve got these new, freshman, who have fit into the team perfectly.”
The three freshmen: AJ Sposato, Jack Rogers and Christian Cloyd have all finished a tournament at even par or under so far.
Sposato specifically has finished each of the team’s first four tournaments par or under.
“With those three freshmen, the sky is the limit,” said golf head coach Darin Pint. “They aren’t afraid of the moment. They aren’t afraid of competition. we knew they were going to be a factor.”
Sophomores Ryan Lynch, Zoske and Sargeant as well as freshmen Sposato and Rogers have all have finished top three individually in tournaments so far this fall.
What is more impressive is that Kirkwood consistently faces competition from four-year colleges. This means they are competing against juniors and seniors, while the Eagles team is only filled with freshman and sophomores.
In golf, most tournament teams can only send out five golfers to represent each team. For Kirkwood, they have 11 players who all can make contributions within the starting lineup by the time the spring season starts.
“This group can accomplish great things if they just keep their head down, and keep moving forward and competing with each other,” Pint said
Kirkwood’s fall season will conclude with the Eagle Fall Classic on Oct. 19-20, before their official season starts in the spring.
“We’re only going to be stronger the more we move on,” said Sargeant.
