DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque men's golf team opens up the spring portion of its schedule on Thursday as the team travels to East Peoria, Illinois, to compete in the Illinois Central College Cougar Clash at the Weaver Ridge Golf Course. The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) recently released the men's golf preseason coaches' poll, with the league's head coaches picking the Spartans to defend their conference title at the 2026 A-R-C Men's Golf Championships, which will be held at Glen Oaks Country Club in Des Moines, Iowa, in late April.
The Spartans got an early start on the spring season over spring break (March 1-7) in Mobile, Alabama, where they were able to enjoy some warm weather and get numerous rounds in on a few different golf courses in the area. Starting on Thursday in Illinois, the Spartans will compete in eight different golf tournaments over the next five weeks, preparing for the 2026 A-R-C Men's Golf Championships, which will take place over three days from April 26-28 in Des Moines.
The Spartans won their fifth conference title and first since 2014 last spring after a dominant three-day performance, with the Spartans beating the field by 21 strokes over the 54-hole tournament. The Spartans lost the conference's most valuable golfer from a season ago in
Carter Ruegsegger to graduation, but return four of the five golfers from last season's NCAA Championships team, which is blended with a mix of experience and leadership that is ready to defend the conference title.
Junior
John Dobbe, last year's conference runner-up, is currently the No. 5 men's golfer in Division III after a great fall season and will be leading the charge this spring for the Spartans. Sophomore
Luke Harwick finished fifth at the conference championships last season in his first-year as a collegiate golfer. As they did in the fall, both Dobbe and Harwick will be the Spartans' one-two punch at the top of the leaderboards. Other Spartans to keep your eyes out for this spring will be junior
Joe LaBarbera and senior
Bob Ryan, who both finished inside the top 25 at the conference championships last year. Seniors
Pauly Bloomquist and
Tyson Malak have also made an impact this season so far and will be in the mix for the Spartans' top five team scorers.
"Looking forward to the spring season with this group, and our guys have worked very hard this offseason," said director of golf
Dustin Bierman. "Excited to see how this team comes together throughout the season. Been very pleased with the leadership in the fall season, and hopefully we can carry that over to the spring. Should be a fun journey to the conference tournament at Glen Oaks in April."
Check out all the latest news, information, and updates from men's golf via the University of Dubuque Athletics website at
https://udspartans.com/sports/mens-golf.
2026 American Rivers Conference
Men's Golf Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Place |
Team (First-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
University of Dubuque (8) |
64 |
| 2. |
Nebraska Wesleyan University (1) |
56 |
| 3. |
Central College |
47 |
| 4. |
Luther College |
41 |
| 5. |
Simpson College |
36 |
| 6. |
Coe College |
26 |
| 7. |
Wartburg College |
24 |
| 8. |
Buena Vista University |
21 |
| 9. |
Loras College |
9 |
