Akina was named the 2026 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned an All-Big 12 First Team nod. Akina claimed two individual titles and seven top-5 finishes, including two second-place finishes, on his way to being the No. 6-ranked golfer in the nation, the second-highest-ranked player in the Big 12. His best tournament performance came at the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational, where he carded a school record 21-under 195. The freshman is fresh off a runner-up finish at The Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship.

Akina was the best Cougar in eight of 12 events in 2025-26, on his way to a team-leading 68.92 scoring average.

Kwon nabbed an All-Big 12 Second Team spot, his first Big 12 honor since joining the Cougars at the beginning of last season. The senior achieved four top-5 and six top-10 finishes this season, with his best coming at The Tindall. He earned a share of third with a season-best 10-under 206. Kwon currently holds a 70.76 scoring average this season.

The Player and the Freshman of the Year awards were determined by Clippd rankings, while the Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Head Coach of the Year were voted on by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes.

Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout was named the Player of the Year, Will King of Kansas the Scholar-Athlete of the year and Alan Bratton of Oklahoma State as Coach of the Year.

Barragan in sixth after first day at Louisville Regional

SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. — Maria Jose “MJ” Barragan ended day one of the NCAA Louisville Regional tied for sixth at 3-under, carding three birdies and no bogeys on Monday at University of Louisville Golf Club.

“She’s been working on putting the ball more forward with no sway,” head coach Carrie Roberts said. “She’s been hitting the ball like this for a while and just hasn’t made putts, but today she did. Our course management set her up very well and she capitalized on her back nine.”

Barragan made par on her first 12 holes before carding her first birdie on hole four, her 13th of the day. The junior rolled in two more birdies on six and eight to get her to 3-under par for the day. Barragan’s ball striking showed out as she hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation.

In order to advance to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa, Barragan will need to finish as the low individual, not on an advancing team. The current low individual finished two strokes ahead of the Mexico native and tied for the lead.

“Moving forward, we will continue with the game plan of controlling what we can control and focus on placing the ball to give her better odds to score well,” Roberts said.

Round 2 at Louisville GC will tee off for Barragan at 7:50 a.m. MDT on Tuesday, pairing with Isabella Johnson of Middle Tennessee State and Ella Galitsky of South Carolina. Live scoring will be updated on  Scoreboard, with more updates on  Instagram  and  X.

UVU hires Pearson as soccer GM

Utah Valley University Athletics has announced the hiring of Vess Pearson as General Manager for the Wolverine men’s and women’s soccer programs, marking the next step in the continued growth of Utah Valley soccer.

Pearson becomes the first general manager appointed for a varsity sport program in Utah Valley Athletics history, representing a significant investment in the future of Wolverine soccer.

The move comes as Utah Valley prepares to transition into the Big West Conference, positioning both programs for continued growth and success in a new competitive landscape.In this newly created role, Pearson will work directly with both programs in areas including strategic planning, operational support, student-athlete development, resource enhancement, branding and long-term program growth as Utah Valley continues building toward the next level.

The hire also comes as Utah Valley prepares for its second season competing in the state-of-the-art UCCU Stadium, a facility that has further elevated the profile and experience of Wolverine soccer.

“This is an important step forward for our soccer programs and for our department,” said Dr. Jared Sumsion. “We believe in the direction of both programs and the leadership in place, and adding Vess to that group strengthens our ability to support our student-athletes and continue building something special at Utah Valley.

“Pearson brings extensive executive leadership and entrepreneurial experience after co-founding Aptive Environmental in 2015. As CEO and co-founder, he helped grow the company into one of the largest residential pest control providers in North America, serving customers in more than 5,000 cities across more than 30 states. Under Pearson’s leadership, Aptive earned national recognition for both innovation and workplace culture, including placement on Glassdoor’s Top 100 Best Places to Work and the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list. He was also named the 2021 EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the Utah Region.Beyond the business world, Pearson has been deeply involved in the growth of soccer in Utah. As a co-founder and owner of Utah United, including its USL League Two and USL W League clubs, he has helped build the organization into one that has produced several nationally ranked teams. Through his work with Utah United, Pearson has been instrumental in recruiting and supporting players throughout their development within the state.

Originally from Corona, California, Pearson has lived in Utah since 2003. He and his wife, Angie, are the parents of four children: Harper, Hayes, Becket and Jackson.

Pearson said he looks forward to working alongside both programs and contributing to their continued development.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of Utah Valley soccer,” said Pearson. “There is a strong foundation already in place, and I’m excited to work with both programs to support the student-athlete experience and help continue moving things in the right direction.”