CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s golf associate head coach Dustin Groves was named one of five Division I finalists for the 2026 Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade Golf Company. The honor is annually presented to the assistant coach that has excelled in working with their student-athletes both on the course and in the classroom.
Ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in every Scoreboard Powered by Clippd ranking so far this season, Virginia has compiled eight top two finishes with five victories by an average of over 11 strokes under guidance from Groves. The Cavaliers have four players ranked inside the top 50 via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd, led by second-ranked and the first three-time PING First Team All-American in program history Ben James.
Groves was hired by 2004 Jan Strickland Award recipient Bowen Sargent as assistant coach at Virginia in August 2022 and promoted to Associate Head Coach at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. The Cavaliers are the only men’s Division I program to reach NCAA Championship Match Play each of the last three seasons, and the program won their first ACC Championship in 2025.
2026 Jan Strickland Award Finalists
Dustin Groves, Virginia
Noah Goldman, North Carolina
Jace Long, LSU
Gustavo Morantes, Arkansas
James Vargas, Texas Tech
Arrianna Custodio, Cal State East Bay (NCAA Division II)
Troy Nielsen, Cal State San Bernardino (NCAA Division II)
David Rosenbaum, Meridian (NJCAA Division II)
*Two assistant coaches, one Division I and one non-Division I, will be named 2026 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award presented by TaylorMade Golf Company recipients.