VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 60 Valdosta State men's golf team will conclude the 2025-26 regular season Mar. 30-31 at the Argonaut Invitational at Pensacola Country Club in Pensacola, Fla. 
 
The Blazers are coming off a seventh-place finish at the Shark Invitational last week with an 860 score on rounds of 287, 286 and 287 on the par 71, 6,750-yard Grande Oaks Golf Club Course. Blazer junior William Carestam finished his best tournament for the red and black finishing tied for sixth at 4-under 209 on rounds of 68, 72 and 69 earning his second Gulf South Conference Men's Golfer of the Week honor this season.  
 
In this week's NCAA South Region rankings, West Florida leads the way, followed by Florida Southern, Nova Southeastern, Lee and Barry rounds out the top five.  Saint Leo is sixth, followed by Rollins, Palm Beach Atlantic, Lynn, Valdosta State and Eckerd is 11^th.
 
The NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships will consist of both team and individual competition conducted concurrently from the South and Southeast Regions. Ten teams and the top four individuals not with a team will be selected from each region to compete in one of four 54-hole regional tournaments, each consisting of 20 teams and eight individuals total from the two regions. 
 
This year, the NCAA Division II South/Southeast Super Regional is scheduled for May 7-9 at Valdosta Country Club in Valdosta.  There will three automatic qualifiers for the South Region, the winners of the Gulf South Conference, Sunshine State Conference and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).  
 
A total of seven teams, including the top two individuals not with a team from each regional (regardless of region) will advance to the finals. Tiebreakers and playoffs will be used to determine advancement to the finals, as well as team and individual champions.  The 2026 NCAA Division II National Championship is set for May 18-22 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev.  
 
For the Argonaut Invitational, the top-ranked UWF Argos headline the 15-team field, while Lee is third, Florida Southern is fourth, followed by Wingate at fifth.  Georgia Southwestern is eighth, followed by St. Mary's (Texas, 9) and Columbus State is tenth.  North Georgia is 12^th, followed by Lincoln Memorial (14) and Flagler is 26^th to round out teams in the Clippd Top 30.  University of Missouri-St. Louis is 34^th, followed by Lander (35).  VSU checks in at 60^th, while Georgia College is 85^th and Montevallo is 105^th.  As for the Bushnell/Golfweek Poll, 12 teams are ranked or receiving votes.  
 
VSU's lineup this week features junior Alexander Nilehn at the top spot as he is 95^th nationally and 35^th in the region with a 72.4 stroke average on 27 rounds.  Carestam is second with a 72.5 stroke average also in 27 rounds and a national ranking of 112 and a regional ranking of 34^th.  Junior Adam Waller has the third position, followed by senior Joshua Burki and senior Elad Sebbag round out the five-player lineup.  Junior Nick Mueller will be playing as an individual.  
 
The Blazers are quite familiar with Pensacola Country Club as they have played in this tournament for a long time.  Last season, VSU finished tied for ninth with an 869 score with rounds of 297, 288, 284.  Sebbag paced the team finished tied for 23^rd with a 2-under 214, while Waller was tied for 33^rd with an even par 216.  Nilehn also competed in the tournament finishing tied for 62^nd.  VSU's best finish in the tournament was tied for seventh in 2018.  VSU has competed in the tournament every year since 2017.  
 
Following the tournament, VSU will prepare for the Gulf South Conference Championships, scheduled for Apr. 20-22 at Grey Stone Golf Club in Dickson, Tenn.