NORMAN, Okla. — West Florida men’s golf head coach Steve Fell was named a finalist for the 2026 Golf Coaches Association of America’s (GCAA) NCAA Division II Dave Williams Coach of the Year Award presented by Golf Pride Grips.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Fell’s defending national champion Argonauts have compiled nine top-five finishes and six victories this season. Ranked No. 1 via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd since March 25 and the Bushnell/Golfweek DII Coaches Poll since March 6, West Florida won their 22nd Gulf South Conference Championship. It also won the Argonaut Invitational by three strokes on March 31, had a three-tournament winning streak, and won the Copperhead Championship by 11 strokes on October 14. 

The Argonauts have been led by back-to-back NCAA Division II Jack Nicklaus Award finalist Cooper Tendick and fellow All-GSC honorees Per Ekelund, TJ Thompson, and Max Page. A three-time NCAA Division II Dave Williams Award recipient (2001, 2008, 2017), 2017 GCAA Hall of Fame inductee Fell is looking to become the second NCAA Division II head coach to ever win four Dave Williams Awards. 

Fell is joined by Georgia Southwestern’s Darcy Donaldson, Wingate’s JD Lamm, Grand Valley State’s Gareth Lappin, and Florida Southern’s Brian Richey.