The College of Coastal Georgia men's golf team captured first place at the Kinderlou Forest Spring Invite, held February 16–17, 2026, at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia. The NAIA event was hosted by Dalton State College and drew eight programs from across the region for three rounds of stroke play competition.
The Mariners, currently ranked eighth nationally in NAIA, finished the tournament at +16 — eight strokes clear of runner-up Point University (+24) and eleven ahead of host Dalton State (+27) in third. Coastal Georgia got off to a bumpy start, posting a first-round 13-over, but responded with a 5-over second round before putting the field away with a final-round 2-under — the best team score of any squad on the closing day.
Sophomore Jake Ackerman was the anchor of the Mariners' performance from start to finish. The consistent ball-striker finished tied for second in the individual standings at 1-under par, posting rounds of even-par, 1-under, and even-par across the three days. Head coach Mike Cook singled him out after the round, noting that Ackerman "was strong both days and could have easily been medalist."
Antonio Juarbe was another key contributor, finishing tied for seventh at +3. Cook pointed to Juarbe's clutch play on the back nine both days as a decisive factor in the team's performance. "Antonio was huge on his back nines each day," Cook said, crediting Juarbe's composure down the stretch as one of the reasons the Mariners were able to hold off the competition.
Perhaps the most electric performance of the tournament came from freshman Gates Glanton, who closed out the event with a 6-under 66 — the low round of the entire field. Glanton's final round vaulted him into a tie for seventh place individually at +3 and ignited the Mariners' run to the team title. "Freshman G. Glanton shot a 66 today — that was huge," Cook said. Griffin Blount also delivered when it counted, posting a strong closing round that helped cement Coastal Georgia's 2-under team score on the final day.
Cook was clearly proud of his group following the victory. "It's very nice to win another invitational this week," he said. "It's been over a year since. It's been tough lately to get one, but our men played exceptionally — especially today." The win is a welcome milestone for a program that has been grinding to get back to the winner's circle, and the combination of veteran steadiness from Ackerman and Juarbe alongside the explosive final-round play from Glanton and Blount suggests the Mariners are hitting their stride at the right time.
With the spring season still in its early stages, Coastal Georgia's performance at Kinderlou Forest serves as an encouraging sign of what this group is capable of as conference play approaches.
