PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The University of Southern Maine swept the 2026 Little East Conference (LEC) Men’s Golf postseason awards, with freshman SJ Welch earning Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors and Brian Bickford receiving Coach of the Year recognition.
Welch capped a strong debut season with the individual title at the LEC Championship, while Bickford guided the Huskies to their third consecutive conference championship.
Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year: SJ Welch, Southern Maine
Welch, a freshman from Newport, Maine, made an immediate impact for Southern Maine, recording four top-five finishes before adding a fifth with his victory at the conference championship. He earned two LEC Rookie of the Week awards during the fall, including a sweep of the conference’s Player and Rookie of the Week honors following the Castleton Invitational.
At Castleton, Welch finished second among 45 golfers with a two-round score of 143, 3 over par. He opened with a 3-under 67, recording seven birdies, before shooting a 76 in the final round. His performance helped Southern Maine win the nine-team tournament and establish program records for its lowest team round and two-round total on a par-70 course.
Welch continued his strong play at the Husky Classic on Oct. 4, tying for fourth with an even-par 72. He recorded three birdies on the back nine and earned his second LEC Rookie of the Week honor for the performance.
He concluded the fall by capturing medalist honors at the LEC Championship, held Oct. 13-14 at Mohegan Sun Golf Club in Baltic, Connecticut. Welch opened with a 1-under 70 before shooting a 1-over 72 to finish at even-par 142, one stroke ahead of Eastern Connecticut State University’s Ryan O’Donnell.
Welch became Southern Maine’s first individual LEC men’s golf champion and the third golfer in program history to win a conference tournament. His finish also earned him First Team All-LEC recognition.
Coach of the Year: Brian Bickford, Southern Maine
Bickford guided Southern Maine to victories at the John Queenan Memorial Invitational, Castleton Invitational and SMCC Seawolf Shootout before securing the LEC championship. The Huskies also finished second at the Mariner Invitational and third at both the ECSU Warrior Collegiate Invitational and Colby Sid Farr Invitational.
Southern Maine won the 11-team John Queenan Memorial Invitational with a 298. At Castleton, the Huskies fired a 3-under 277 in the opening round before finishing with a two-day total of 580 to lead the nine-team field.
The Huskies carried that success into the LEC Championship, opening with a 287 to establish a five-stroke lead before posting a 293 in the final round. Southern Maine finished at 580, 12 over par, to defeat Eastern Connecticut by three strokes. The total broke the program’s previous tournament record of 597 on a par-71 course, set in 2024.
Four Huskies finished among the top seven at the conference championship. Welch and Will Farschon, who placed third at 144, earned First Team All-LEC honors. Alex Fournier and Owen Moore tied for seventh at 149 to receive Second Team All-LEC recognition.
The conference title secured Southern Maine’s automatic berth in the 2027 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship, scheduled for May 18-21 at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia.