Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina head men's golf coach Tim Eckberg announced the addition of Brewer Lael (Newton, N.C.) for the 2026-27 season during the fall's early signing period.
 
Brewer Lael
Newton, N.C. (Fred T. Foard HS)
Prior to Western Carolina: Was a 2024 North Carolina All-State selection … Helped guide Fred T. Foard High to a third-place tie in the 2024 3-A North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Boys Golf Championship, finishing as the individual runner-up … Won the 2025 Catawba Country Club (CCC) Junior Club Championship … Finished tied for sixth at the North Carolina Regional Finals held at the Sequoyah National Golf Club … Recorded three top-3 finishes in the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA), including a fourth-place showing at the 2024 CHA Daniel Meggs Memorial.
 
Western Carolina men's golf returns to action in the spring semester, traveling to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, for the Compadres Collegiate, hosted by Texas-Rio Grande Valley at the Playa Paraiso Golf Course. The 54-hole event is scheduled for February 1-3, 2026. The Catamounts finished seventh at the same course a year ago.
 
Senior Ivan Ninkovic (69.67) and sophomore transfer Tyler Jones (69.67) paced three Catamount golfers among the Top 10 in the Southern Conference through the fall semester, with WCU's duo tied atop the leaderboard. Jace Butcher (72.25) is ninth in the conference scoring ranks. WCU posted a trio of Top Five team finishes, including a runner-up finish at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational in late September, and a third-place tally at the home JT Poston Invitational.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's golf and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountMGolf).