East Peoria, Ill. - The Illinois Central College men's golf team will open their 2026-27 season on Friday, August 22 when they tee up at the Highland 36 Invitational in Freeport.
The Cougars have plenty of new names and new faces dotting the roster, as four of the five starters graduated from last year's squad. And while the names have changed on the lineup card, the goal remains the same---earn a trip to the NJCAA National tournament in the spring.
All-American Watson Returns to Lead Team
The Cougars return three players from last years' National Tournament squad, led by
Connor Watson (SO- East Peoria HS) who had a stellar freshman campaign. Watson earned 2nd Team All-American honors as he finished 10
th at the National Championship to go along with a host of other accomplishments. He garnered 1st Team Region 24 accolades, set the ICC scoring record (with an 8 under par 63), and won the Warrior 36 in one of his first collegiate competitions. His rookie season was impressive, as he finished in the Top 5 at seven tournaments and had a total of eleven Top 10 finishes.
Fellow sophomores
Andrew Kuykendall (SO-Charleston HS) and
Alex Kuykendall (SO - Charleston HS) add additional experience to the team. Andrew (5) and Alex (4) both had multiple Top 20 finishes as freshmen and will look to use their experience to help Watson anchor the young group.
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Connor Watson is a returning NJCAA All American and he, Alex, and Andrew are all NJCAA Academic All-Americans. They understand the leadership they'll need to provide and have already helped the five freshmen begin to understand the expectations of what comes with being a part of the ICC men's golf team."
Five New Freshmen Eager To Make Their Mark
In his brief time at the helm of the Cougars, Kennedy has attracted outstanding talent to East Peoria. Kennedy has done it again as this year's five newcomers come with stellar resumes.
Carson Oliver (FR - Mt. Zion HS),
Jacob Voss (FR - Fulton HS),
Wyatt Novotny (FR - Bureau Valley HS),
Carson Rowe (FR - Henry Senachwine HS) &
Owen Anderson (FR - Rockford Lutheran HS) will all make an immediate impact on the course.
"I am excited and bullish about the potential of this class," Kennedy said. "These five young men are multi-sport high school athletes who accomplished quite a bit in their four years at the high school level. We have a State Golf Champion, All-State golfers, and Illinois State Amateur golf qualifiers as well as All-Staters in baseball, one who scored over 1400 points in basketball, and numerous high school all-conference award winners in golf, basketball, and baseball. The athleticism and competitiveness of these five has already been exciting to watch in our practice qualifying sessions."
The Path to Swan Lake
The Cougars will be tested---early and often. And even though it's only August, Kennedy knows the work to fulfill the goal of playing at Swan Lake in May starts now.
"We're anxious and ready to start the season," he said. "We've already played nine qualifying rounds at all of our championship partner golf courses and country clubs in the Peoria area. Our schedule is demanding, and we'll continually be tested by playing at championship venues in all sorts of fall and spring weather conditions."
Kennedy continued, "Highlighting the fall schedule is a cross-town trip to Coyote Creek, one of the Cougars eight home courses in the Peoria area. And Bradley Men's Golf Coach Jeff Roche graciously created a spot for us in the Bradley Braves Coyote Creek Classic; the opportunity to play in an NCAA Division I tournament is circled on our October calendar."
For a complete fall schedule, go to https://illinoiscentralcougars.com/sports/mens-golf/schedule/2026-27.
Fans can follow the squad on Instagram at icc_mens_golf.
