BYU golfer Kihei Akina was named the recipient of the 2026 NCAA Division I Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award presented by StrackaLine, the Golf Coaches Association of America in partnership with the Golf Channel announced on June 2.
The award annually honors the National Freshman of the Year in men’s collegiate golf. Akina is the first BYU Cougar to receive this honor since its creation in 1992. By receiving this award, Akina was also placed on the Golf Coaches Association of America All-Freshman Team, which includes five freshmen players.
Akina earned several other awards and recognitions during his freshman season. He was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, selected for the All-Big 12 First Team, and recognized as one of ten Fred Haskins Award Finalists. He also secured a spot on Team USA for the Arnold Palmer Cup at Tralee Golf Club in Ireland. In rankings, Akina placed No. 8 individually on Scoreboard and No. 22 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
During his rookie campaign, Akina won two individual titles back-to-back at the R.E. Lamkin and Bridgestone Collegiate Invitationals. His performance at Bridgestone included a score of 21-under-par (195 total), marking it as the lowest 54-hole score in BYU history since the 1999-2000 season. Over this season, he recorded two runner-up finishes, seven top-five placements—all within an eight-tournament span—and eleven top-ten finishes overall. His scoring average for this season was 69.05, setting a new single-season record for BYU.
In head coach Bruce Brockbank’s final year leading BYU Cougars Men’s Golf, Akina concluded his freshman year by tying for eighth place at the NCAA National Championship, with each round scored below par.
