5th season at ICC
Alma mater: Illinois Central College
Sean Kennedy has lifted the Illinois Central College men's golf team to new heights in his brief time at the helm of the program. The Cougars continue to set many program firsts under his tutelage, and 2025-26 was no exception as the squad qualifed for the NJCAA DII National Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, where they finished 11th. According to Scoreboard, ICC led the NJCAA in wins with a regular season record of 124-26-1, marking the second consecutive year the Cougars have done so.
The team claimed a total of seven tournament titles during the year---four in the spring---the Ron Marshall Spring Fling (2nd consecutive year), Cardinal 36, Cougar Spring Preview, and the Melee in Morris, and three titles in the fall---the Highland 36, Rend Lake Warrior Classic, and the Sauk Valley SkyHawk Fall Invite.
Many individual accolades followed the team success as freshman Connor Watson garnered 2nd Team NJCAA All-American and All-Region 24 honors. Trey Boecker held the #1 individual ranking in the NJCAA and was also an All-Region 24 selection. Boecker also won the Individual Medalist Title at the Region Championship in the spring and the M-WAC championship in October of 2025.
Both Watson and Boecker set ICC men's golf program records during the year with Watson's 63 breaking the single round record at the Warrior 36 on September 15. Boecker had set the record with a 64 just three weeks earlier at the Highland 36 and still owns the two-round tourney record of 133.
Kennedy moved three players moved on to four year schools in Boecker (SIU-Edwardsville), Brooks Cluver (UI-Springfield), and Logan Smith (Quincy University).
The 2024-25 season was the best finish in school history as the Cougars scored a National Runner-Up finish at the NJCAA National Championship in Plymouth IN. Under Kennedy's guidance, ICC battled through four rounds at Swan Lake Resort, ultimately falling to three-time champion Mississippi Gulf Coast by a single stroke, yet marking a monumental achievement in program history.
Kennedy's mentorship produced standout performances from his players, with Trey Boecker earning First Team All-American honors (3rd individually), while Quinn Cox (9th) and DJ Norman (13th) were named 2nd Team NJCAA All-Americans. He led the Cougars to nine tournament titles across fall and spring, including claiming the Midwest Athletic Conference Championship. The Cougars have won a remarkable 17 Tournament titles in Kennedy's first three years at ICC.
In 2023-24, ICC's second place finish at the Region Tournament was good enough to qualify for the NJCAA National Championships in Joplin, where they had a 9th place finish.
In just his first season at ICC in 2022, Kennedy propelled the golf team to an NJCAA DII Nationals’ appearance and Top 20 finish. Kennedy’s team battled serious elements in the Nationals’ Qualifier, but showed grit and determination to earn their at-large bid to Swan Lake, their first since 2017.
Kennedy has quickly made strides in improving practice opportunities for his players in order to elevate the program as he had ICC’s own indoor golf simulator installed in Ramsey Gym in January of 2023. The new simulator bay, launch pro monitor, swing speed monitor, and nearly 400 square foot putting area provide the Cougars with a complete indoor winter practice area. He has also partnered with area courses to provide his players access to practice at six local championship golf courses during the school year: Coyote Creek (Bartonville), Weaver Ridge (Peoria), Metamora Fields, Lick Creek (Pekin), Mt. Hawley Country Club, and Quail Meadows (Washington).
Kennedy spent the four years prior as head golf coach at Illinois Valley Community College where his squads garnered nearly instant success and returned the program to its winning ways enjoyed in the early 2000s. His IVCC squads advanced to the NJCAA National Championship in 2021 and 2022 and dethroned perennial conference champions Black Hawk in 2021 to win its first Arrowhead Conference championship in 15 years. Kennedy’s Eagle golfers also enjoyed individual successes earning two NJCAA All-American awards, an Arrowhead Conference individual title, and numerous tournament medalist honors.
Coach Kennedy is also the founder and Tour Director for The Prep Tour, a nationally ranked junior golf tour based in central Illinois. The Prep Tour contests over 35 multi-day Junior Golf Scoreboard nationally ranked tournaments annually, several of which award AJGA performance based “Entry Stars.” The Prep Tour’s geographic footprint extends past the borders of Illinois, hosting events in Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, and Arizona. Founded in 2012, Kennedy’s Prep Tour has now helped over 500 alumni (Men and Women) continue on to play collegiate golf.
Sean and his wife Tina, also an ICC alumna, have four adult children who all participated in college athletics: Nick (McKendree-baseball), Holly (Saint Xavier-softball), Jake (Purdue Fort Wayne-golf), and Kelli (Carl Sandburg-golf).
Updated 07-09-26
