MARANA, Ariz. (5/17/26) – Following a practice round Sunday at The Gallery Golf Club, the Arkansas State men’s golf team will tee off in the NCAA Marana Regional Monday beginning at 9:55 a.m. (CT) on the first tee.

Making its eighth all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, A-State is one of 14 teams that will compete in the Marana Regional hosted by the University of Arizona. Tee times begin at 9:00 a.m. (CT) Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, with the low five teams and the low individual not on those teams advancing to the finals May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

Including the Red Wolves at No. 44 in the latest rankings, the tournament will feature 11 top 100 programs, including eight in the top 50. No. 5 Oklahoma State is the top-ranked team in the field joined by No. 8 LSU, No. 18 Arizona, No. 20 Alabama, No. 29 Duke, No. 33 Clemson, No. 41 San Diego State, No. 55 West Virginia, No. 57 Florida Gulf Coast, No. 67 Saint Mary’s, No. 110 Tarleton State, No. 177 North Dakota State and No. 216 Iona.

Champions of the Sun Belt Conference for the third time in program history, A-State finished the year at 136-19-1 with wins at the Colorado Invitational, Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate, The Saint Mary’s Invitational and A-State Spring Invitational.

A-State’s lineup will consist of Thomas Schmidt, Jake Wallis, Milan Reed, Cole Kirby and Jake Lile. Viggo Hed will also make the trip as a substitute. Lile will get the Red Wolves started, teeing off the first tee at 9:55 a.m. (CT) with Kirby following at 10:06 a.m. (CT). Reed eyes the first fairway at 10:17 a.m. (CT) with Wallis (10:28 a.m. CT) and Schmidt (10:39 a.m. CT) wrapping up the tee times.
Schmidt becomes the fifth A-State golfer to appear in three NCAA Regional competitions. He joines Zolton Veress (1997, 1998, 1999), Adam Rauth (2000, 2001, 2002), Zan Luka Stirn (2017, 2019, 2021) and Luke Naglic (2019, 2021, 2023) after appearing with the team in Austin in 2024 and as an individual last season at Auburn.

The Red Wolves will be paired with San Diego State and West Virginia for the first round. Live streaming coverage is available via Babygrande Golf with live scoring available on Scoreboard.

Arkansas State Lineup
Thomas Schmidt
Named Sun Belt Golfer of the Year for the third consecutive season, Schmidt has posted his best season yet with a single-season program-record 69.10 scoring average. Schmidt won three events to be among eight players nationally with three or more wins on the season and added three more finishes inside the top 10, including a pair of runner-ups. Over 10 events played, he produced 24 of 30 rounds under par, including 15 in the 60s. Schmidt finished tied for third at the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

Jake Wallis
The 2025 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year followed it up with a stellar sophomore season to earn First Team All-Sun Belt Conference recognition. Wallis tied for the team lead with 24 rounds of par or better and carries a 70.27 stroke average, second-best in single-season program history. He finished inside the top 25 in all 10 events, claiming top five finishes in four, including medalist honors at the Saint Mary’s Invitational. He produced 12 rounds in the 60s, including a pair at the Sun Belt Conference Championship where he finished tied for third.

Milan Reed
A Third Team All-Sun Belt Conference pick, Reed posted a scoring average of 71.43 to rank third on the team and eighth-best in single-season program history. He had five top 20 finishes on the season, including his first career win in the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate. Reed tied for 18th at the SBC Championship at 3-over par 219. He totaled 19 of 30 rounds par or better.

Cole Kirby
A steady spring has seen Kirby play his best golf at A-State. In the spring portion of the slate, Kirby is a combined 4-under par for a stroke average of 71.73. On the season, Kirby has a 72.80 scoring average with 10 par or better rounds, eight of which have come over the last four events. He produced a career-low 6-under par 66 in the first round of the Cowboy Classic and followed it up with a tie for second at the A-State Spring Invitational. Kirby finished 1-over par 217 at the SBC Championship to tie for 15th.

Jake Lile
Ranking fifth on the team with a 72.53 stroke average, Lile has played all 30 rounds this season registering 16 at par or better. Lile posted three top-20 finishes, including a pair of top fives. He finished tied for 36th individually at the Sun Belt Conference Championship and provided two wins in match play as the Red Wolves won their third conference title, second in last three seasons.

Viggo Hed
A transfer from Southeastern Louisiana and the 2025 Southland Freshman of the Year, Hed has played in eight of 10 events carrying a 74.00 scoring average. Seven of his 21 rounds finished under par, including a low of 68. He finished tied for 18th at the Pay it Forward Collegiate at 2-under par 214.

2026 NCAA Championship Marana Regional
Seed (National Ranking)
1 Oklahoma State (5)
2 LSU (8)
3 Arizona (18)
4 Alabama (20)
5 Duke (29)
6 Clemson (33)
7 San Diego State (41)
8 Arkansas State (44)
9 West Virginia (55)
10 Florida Gulf Coast (57)
11 Saint Mary’s (67)
12 Tarleton State (110)
13 North Dakota State (177)
14 Iona (216)