NORMAN, Okla. - California State University San Bernardino men's golf assistant coach Troy Nielsen has won the 2026 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award, presented by TaylorMade Golf Company.

The Strickland Award is presented annually to the NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, or NJCAA assistant coach that, among other things, has excelled in working with their student-athletes both on the course and in the classroom. Nielsen, along with Division I recipient Dustin Groves of the University of Virginia, will be honored during the 2026 GCAA National Convention at Planet Hollywood Last Vegas December 8-10.

In Nielsen's fifth year assisting Head Coach Kyle Emerson at CSUSB, the Coyotes have recorded 10 top-10 finishes and victories at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational April 14 and Coyote Classic March 24. Ranked 68^th via Scoreboard Powered by Clippd on October 22 and 63^rd on January 28, the Coyotes are now ranked 29^th with top-three finishes in six of their seven spring tournaments.

"It is truly a special honor to be the Non-Division I Jan Strickland Award winner," said Nielsen. "Receiving this award means the world to myself and my family. When you put so much effort and work into something you love to do, it really never seems like work, but for that to be noticed really makes it worth all the long days and hours away from my family."

Junior and top-75-ranked Kamron Hopson (Redlands, Calif.) has carded top-20 results in 10 of his last 11 tournaments with a seven-stroke victory at the Coyote Classic March 24.

"I could not be happier for Coach Troy in receiving the 2026 Non-Division I Jan Strickland Award," Emerson said. "Nobody works harder than Troy Nielsen to help our guys improve and play the best golf that they're capable of. This is a huge win for our program and our players. Troy means the world to me and to our guys."

Neilsen has played a major role in the development of student-athletes through his time with the Coyotes. John Kim earned 2025 NCAA Division II PING Third Team All-America honors and collected four individual tournament victories over a three-year span, while Chris Wardrup qualified individually for the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championship, with both being PING All-West Region honorees in 2025.

Academic success has been a defining feature of the program with Nielsen. CSUSB recorded the highest team GPA in school history in both 2024 and 2025, including a 3.69 team GPA during the 2024-25 academic year and a 3.502 so far in 2025-2026. The program was awarded the athletic department's first Team Academic Excellence Award earlier this week.
 
"Troy has made a massive difference in our performance since joining our staff five-plus years ago," continued Emerson. "We were a struggling program with limited success. Today we are playing in our fifth NCAA Regional appearance in the last five years. His efforts in recruiting, fundraising, statistical analysis and preparation are unmatched. We would not be where we are today without Troy. Our players were beyond excited when they got the news of Troy's award. He means everything to them and they were very proud of his achievement."
 
Beyond competition, Nielsen has remained deeply involved in supporting both the program and the surrounding golf community. He helped plan, coordinate, and facilitate the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Dave Stockton Fundraiser and was able to raise $40,000 for the team. Additionally, he teaches youth golf in the local community and helps raise money for junior golf and high school teams in the local area.
 
"I am lucky to have a head coach who has taught me everything I know and lets me learn everyday by being able to coach our team," Nielsen said. "I have been very fortunate to be a part of a program where we have had great kids who have bought in to what we do and work really hard at their craft, so this award goes out to them too. I wouldn't be receiving this award without the players who have come through here."
 
"Being nominated with Coach Rosenbaum and Coach Custodio, who I know personally from coaching against in our conference, was just an honor in itself, but to be able to receive this award and share that with all the previous winners will be something I will cherish for the rest of my life. This award will make me want to work harder and continue to coach our guys with even more fire than I do every day. I can't thank Coach Chris Williams and the GCAA enough for their hard work and effort throughout this whole process."