Men's Golf | 4/28/2026 7:44:00 PM

St. HELENA ISLAND, SC – North Carolina A&T sophomore Ignacio Zapata finished in the top five of the 2026 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Men's Golf Championship after the final round on Tuesday at the par-72, 6,764-yard Dataw Island Club.

Zapata shot 68-72-70 for a 6-under 210, tying for fourth place with four others. This was the best Aggie conference finish since Diego Gonzalez's second-place finish at the 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Championship (MEAC). Zapata was eight strokes behind UNC Wilmington's James Rico.

Rico clinched the 2026 CAA individual title with a 14-under 202, closing with a 6-under 66 in the final round. He finished five shots ahead of William & Mary's Talon Dingledine, who shot 9-under 207. UNCW's John Logan climbed 13 spots from Round 2 to finish third at 209.

UNCW won the 2026 CAA title, shooting a 38-under 826 over three rounds. A&T finished seventh at 9-over 873 after rounds of 288, 292, and 293. Elon was second with an 843, and College of Charleston placed third at 847.

Zapata had a terrific front nine on Tuesday. He opened the round with a birdie on the par-4, 309-yard first before earning another birdie on the par-5, 489-yard third. He stayed at 2-under for the round until he reached the par-4, 356-yard eighth. He double bogeyed the hole before getting back on track quickly to birdie the par-4, 430-yard ninth.

Therefore, he made the turn at 1-under and moved to 2-under with a birdie on the par-3, 183-yard 12th. Zapata birdied another par-3, the 187-yard 16th. His 2026 championship ended with a par and a bogey to shoot 35 on the back nine. Sophomore Javier Morgado also shot 2-under on Tuesday.

Morgado finished 22nd, moving up six spots from Monday. He shot 75-72-70 for a 1-over 217. Morgado started with a birdie on No. 3, then made a two on the par-3 fifth. A birdie on the par-5 seventh moved him to 3-under. After bogeying No. 9, he made four straight pars.

After bogeying No. 14, he parred three of his last four holes. The one hole he did not par came on No. 16, where he posted a birdie. Freshman Emilio Hernandez almost made the top 25. He finished 26th with a 3-over 68-74-77—219. Graduate Drew Walker also competed all three rounds, shooting a 13-over 77-74-78—229.

The Aggies' season continues. They will travel to West Palm Beach, Fla., for the PGA Works Collegiate Championship, May 4-7.