Completed Event: Men's Golf at John A. Burns Intercollegiate on February 12, 2026 , , 13th of 19
M Golf
at John A. Burns Intercollegiate
13th of 19
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Kling, Mueller earn top WAC postseason honors
4/30/2024 1:05:00 PM | Men's Golf
GCU earns 5 postseason accolades, most of any conference team
In a season that included eight top-five finishes and three team titles, the Grand Canyon men's golf team leaned on senior Nicky Kling to deliver a 9-foot putt that captured the Lopes' second consecutive WAC Championship title.
The putt dropped and GCU is headed to the NCAA Regional Championship for the second straight season. The clutch genes and consistent play of Kling gave the Lopes another trophy and earned him WAC Player of the Year honors for the first time in his career.
As consistent as Kling was at the top of the leaderboards each week, GCU head coach Mark Mueller navigated different starting lineups throughout much of the season and still produced team victories at the Visit Stockton Invitational, Cowboy Classic and WAC Championship. The strength and trust in his team proved to be another highlight year for GCU with his work awarding him WAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
GCU earned five WAC postseason accolades, the most of any school in the conference. Kling and senior Tommaso Zorzetto were named All-WAC first team, followed by classmate Matthew Pennington garnering second-team honors.
Kling notched four top-10 finishes this season, including three in the top three. He opened the season as the individual winner at the Wildcat Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas, and placed second at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Maricopa. The putt that sent the Lopes dancing into the NCAA tournament earned him second place in the WAC Championship for his highest postseason finish since he joined GCU in 2020-21.
The WAC postseason honor is Kling's second of his career as he earned second-team recognition last season. He is the first Lope to earn WAC Golfer of the Year since Vinnie Murphy did so twice in 2017 and 2018.
Zorzetto notches his first All-WAC accolade after a season that included four top-10 finishes and an individual title on his home course at the GCU Invitational. Zorzetto, from Padova, Italy, ended the regular season with a second-place showing at the El Macero Classic and used that momentum to earn 18th at the WAC Championship.
Pennington, a transfer from Cal State San Marcos, joined GCU for his final year of eligibility last summer and ends it with an All-WAC award. He had two top-10 placements this season, including a season-high third-place outing at the Wyoming Classic. In a round when every birdie mattered, Pennington led the Lopes with three birdies on the front nine of the final round of the WAC Championship, keeping the Lopes in striking distance for the eventual title.
Mueller's Coach of the Year accolade is his second straight, following a season that saw a program record for first-team All-WAC honorees. In his two Coach of the Year campaigns, Mueller has seen seven All-WAC honorees, a WAC Golfer of the Year and five team tournament titles.
GCU will await its destination for the NCAA Regional Championship, which will be played May 13-15. The selection show begins Wednesday at 11 a.m. on the Golf Channel.
The putt dropped and GCU is headed to the NCAA Regional Championship for the second straight season. The clutch genes and consistent play of Kling gave the Lopes another trophy and earned him WAC Player of the Year honors for the first time in his career.
As consistent as Kling was at the top of the leaderboards each week, GCU head coach Mark Mueller navigated different starting lineups throughout much of the season and still produced team victories at the Visit Stockton Invitational, Cowboy Classic and WAC Championship. The strength and trust in his team proved to be another highlight year for GCU with his work awarding him WAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
GCU earned five WAC postseason accolades, the most of any school in the conference. Kling and senior Tommaso Zorzetto were named All-WAC first team, followed by classmate Matthew Pennington garnering second-team honors.
Kling notched four top-10 finishes this season, including three in the top three. He opened the season as the individual winner at the Wildcat Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas, and placed second at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Maricopa. The putt that sent the Lopes dancing into the NCAA tournament earned him second place in the WAC Championship for his highest postseason finish since he joined GCU in 2020-21.
The WAC postseason honor is Kling's second of his career as he earned second-team recognition last season. He is the first Lope to earn WAC Golfer of the Year since Vinnie Murphy did so twice in 2017 and 2018.
Zorzetto notches his first All-WAC accolade after a season that included four top-10 finishes and an individual title on his home course at the GCU Invitational. Zorzetto, from Padova, Italy, ended the regular season with a second-place showing at the El Macero Classic and used that momentum to earn 18th at the WAC Championship.
Pennington, a transfer from Cal State San Marcos, joined GCU for his final year of eligibility last summer and ends it with an All-WAC award. He had two top-10 placements this season, including a season-high third-place outing at the Wyoming Classic. In a round when every birdie mattered, Pennington led the Lopes with three birdies on the front nine of the final round of the WAC Championship, keeping the Lopes in striking distance for the eventual title.
Mueller's Coach of the Year accolade is his second straight, following a season that saw a program record for first-team All-WAC honorees. In his two Coach of the Year campaigns, Mueller has seen seven All-WAC honorees, a WAC Golfer of the Year and five team tournament titles.
GCU will await its destination for the NCAA Regional Championship, which will be played May 13-15. The selection show begins Wednesday at 11 a.m. on the Golf Channel.
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