Castro, Spitzer Earn PING All-America Honors After Leading Titans to NCAA Runner-Up Finish

| By: Lexie Vernon, CCIW Executive Director, lvernon@cciw.org
NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Pablo Castro and senior Michael Spitzer represented the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) on the 2026 NCAA Division III PING All-America Teams, announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

Castro was named to the PING All-America First Team, while Spitzer earned honorable mention recognition. The duo helped Illinois Wesleyan finish as the national runner-up at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

Castro, a sophomore from Palatine, Ill., produced one of the top individual seasons in Illinois Wesleyan history. He played in 11 tournaments and finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 71.6 stroke average over 31 rounds, the second-best single-season average in program history.

Castro tied for seventh at the NCAA Division III Championship, carding a four-round score of 283 with rounds of 73, 69, 72 and 69. He recorded eight top-10 finishes and won two tournaments during the season, including the IWU Spring Invite and the CCIW Championship.

At the CCIW Championship, Castro earned medalist honors with a three-round score of 211, finishing five under par. He also tied Illinois Wesleyan's single-round program record relative to par with an eight-under 64 at the NCAA Division III Preview and matched the Titans' 54-hole program record with a 12-under 204 at the Jekyll Island Intercollegiate.

In addition to his All-America honor, Castro was named PING All-Region, earned CCIW Golfer of the Week recognition three times and received the CCIW Elite 26 Award.

Spitzer earned PING All-America honors for the third consecutive season. He was a Second Team selection in 2025 and an honorable mention honoree in 2024. The Hinsdale, Ill. native closed his Illinois Wesleyan career third in program history with a 72.68 stroke average over 81 rounds.

Spitzer competed in 10 tournaments during the 2025-26 season and averaged 72.6 strokes over 28 rounds. He placed 18th at the national championship, marking his third career top-20 finish at the NCAA title event. Spitzer also won the Cochran Collegiate, placed third at the CCIW Championship to earn All-CCIW First Team honors, was named CCIW Golfer of the Week on April 22 and received PING All-Region recognition for the third consecutive season.

Illinois Wesleyan's national runner-up finish marked the Titans' fourth top-two NCAA finish since 2019. IWU won national championships in 2019 and 2021 before placing second in 2025 and 2026.

About PING All-Americans

The GCAA began naming NCAA Division III All-Americans in 1975, with PING sponsoring the award since at least 1991. For Division III, the First Team consists of eight golfers, or nine if the individual national champion was not already named to the First Team, followed by eight selections on the Second Team, eight on the Third Team and at least 16 Honorable Mention All-America honorees.

Automatic additions from GCAA member schools to Honorable Mention, if not previously named, include top-15 finishers at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship and the top three players in each All-Region ballot.

 
Follow the CCIW
CCIW on X | CCIW Instagram | CCIW Facebook | CCIW YouTube | CCIW on TikTok |
 
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).

Related Stories

Related Videos