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Men's Golf Brandon Sans

Rico, Taylor Headline CAA Postseason Awards

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW men's golf senior James Rico was voted Coastal Athletic Association Golfer of the Year while first-year head coach Blake Taylor was tabbed the league's Coach of the Year as announced by the conference on Wednesday morning.

Rico, along with teammates John Logan and Gray Mitchum, were selected to the All-CAA First Team while Preston Worch earned All-CAA Second Team distinctions for the 2026 CAA Champion Seahawks.

A native of Cary, N.C., Rico is the eighth UNCW golfer to earn Player of the Year honors after earning the league's individual crown with a conference-record 14-under-par 202 at Dataw Island Club, shooting par or better on a tournament best 52 of 54 holes in South Carolina, and led all three rounds.

The Loyola (Md.) transfer posted four top 10 finishes, including a pair of top three results after March 30.

Taylor earns the league's top coaching honor just over three months after earning the permanent head coaching job at UNCW after being named the interim in August 2025. Previously a UNCW assistant since 2023, the Wilmington native became the fourth Seahawk leader to guide the program to the top of the league with three total wins and three runner-up finishes as well as a top 40 national ranking.

Logan bookended his year with podium finishes by winning Duke's Rod Myers Invitational in September and posting a six-under 66 score in the third round of the CAA Tournament to rise 13 spots to third place on the final day.

Mitchum soars to the First Team after earning Second Team honors last season. The Greenville, N.C., native authored an undefeated March with wins at the ECU Intercollegiate in his hometown before concluding the month with a victory at UNCW's Seahawk Intercollegiate.

One of three golfers, including Rico, to shoot below par each day of the CAA Tournament, Mitchum secured a share of fourth place at the conference championship and was named to the Allstate NACDA Good Works Team for the spring season last week.

Worch rounds out UNCW's All-CAA recognition after shaking off a seven-over first round score to shoot three-under in the second round and then a six-under final round to jump a staggering 19 spots into a share of third place at the CAA Tournament.

UNCW will tee off the 2026 NCAA Regionals at the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas, as the No. 7 seed, from May 18-20. The Seahawks are making their 12th NCAA team appearance and first since 2023.

2026 CAA Men's Golf Postseason Awards
 
CAA Player of the Year
James Rico, UNCW
 
CAA Co-Rookies of the Year
Talon Dingledine, William & Mary
Drew Yeagley, Elon
 
CAA Coach of the Year
Blake Taylor, UNCW
 
2026 All-CAA First Team
Player Team Class Hometown
Loran Appel Charleston Jr. Numansdorp, Netherlands
Miles Eubanks Charleston Jr. Warrenville, S.C.
John Logan UNCW Jr. Wilmington, N.C.
Gray Mitchum UNCW Gr. Greenville, N.C.
James Rico UNCW Sr. Cary, N.C.
 
2026 All-CAA Second Team
Player Team Class Hometown
Talon Dingledine William & Mary Fr. Chesterfield, Va.
Erik Johansson Campbell Jr. Hollviken, Sweden
Nevill Ruiter Charleston Gr. Bergen, Netherlands
Jack Wieler Elon Jr. Bluffton, S.C.
Preston Worch UNCW Jr. Delray Beach, Fla.
Drew Yeagley Elon Fr. Waxhaw, N.C.
 
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Players Mentioned

John Logan

John Logan

6' 0"
Junior
Gray Mitchum

Gray Mitchum

5' 11"
Graduate Student
James Rico

James Rico

5' 7"
Senior
Preston Worch

Preston Worch

6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

John Logan

John Logan

6' 0"
Junior
Gray Mitchum

Gray Mitchum

5' 11"
Graduate Student
James Rico

James Rico

5' 7"
Senior
Preston Worch

Preston Worch

6' 2"
Junior