BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Antonio Juarbe is on the doorstep of Coastal Georgia history. The junior from Jesup, Ga. has been named one of five finalists for the 2026 NAIA Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Workday — the most prestigious individual honor in college golf.

The announcement, made by the Golf Coaches Association of America, comes after a season of remarkable consistency. Juarbe finished in the top seven in all eleven tournaments he entered, posting ten top-five finishes and five victories — a body of work that earned him Sun Conference Golfer of the Year honors and a No. 2 national ranking via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd.

His five wins spanned the full season. He was co-champion at the season-opening Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational (Sept. 9), won the Coastal Georgia vs. SCAD Savannah match by five strokes (Oct. 12), claimed the Bojangles Invitational by one stroke (Oct. 19), took the BMCU Spring Classic by two strokes (Mar. 24), and was co-champion at the Roadrunner Classic (Mar. 31).

A win on June 7 would make Juarbe only the second Mariner to claim the award, joining Mark David Johnson, who brought the honor to Brunswick in 2019.

Juarbe is joined in the finalist field by Sam Dykema of Indiana Wesleyan, Christopher Richards Jr. of Webber International, Iver Sokhan-Sanj of Keiser, and Felipe Suarez of Missouri Valley. All five are competing this week at the 2026 NAIA Championship at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

The winner will be announced by Jack Nicklaus on Sunday, June 7, during his annual Memorial Tournament presented by Workday press conference at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.