SENATOBIA - After a season that saw the Northwest Mississippi Community College men's golf team participate in the MACCC Championships and the NWCC women's golf team earn a bid to the NJCAA DII Women's Golf National Championship, Head Coach Adam Payne will look to continue to build upon last year's success. 

"(For the men), we plan to play in the district championships and hopefully qualify for nationals," Payne said. "(For the women), the expectations are to compete for district and national championships." 

The Ranger men's golf team will only see four players return in Cole Elander, Caesar Ingendorf, Atharv Sharma, and Davis Wilkins.  

Elander's best performance of the 2025-26 season came in the Pearl River Wildcat Invitational when he hit six-over and came in ninth out of 71 competitors. Ingendorf placed within the top-25 competitors in five competitions with his best result coming when he placed eight out of 64 at the Jim Redgate Invitational in October 2025.  

Although Sharma had several times where he underperformed in the spring portion of last season, he remains as one of the leaders of the NWCC men's golf team. Sharma's best result came in the first competition of the season, Rangers Classic, where he placed third out of 70 competitors. Although Wilkins did not see much competition action, he will look to bring experience to the team full of fresh faces. 

"On the course, the returners should be great leaders since they have had a year to develop their skills and mental toughness," Payne said. "They should shoot some great scores." 

The freshmen bring a wealth of talent to the Rangers. A native of New Albany, Nicholas Little helped the New Albany Bulldogs to the 2025 MHSAA 4A State Championship and was the individual runner-up that year as well. Drew Tuccio helped his alma mater, Northwest Rankin High School, to a MHSAA District Championship in 2024. 

Cooper Phillips helped lead Northpoint Christian School to participate in the THSAA Division II Class A State Championship his senior year, and Mac Stacy, with the help of a fourth place finish, led Canton Academy to a team MAIS State Championship runner-up finish. 

"The first thing that is exciting is how quickly the freshmen have gelled as a unit. They all have the potential to be great players if they stay focused and work hard," Payne said. 

The NWCC women's golf team will see two players return in Analeigh Little and Sarah Grace Niblett. 

Little finished the 2025-26 season ranked eighth in the nation and earned All-American honors. On her way to a successful freshman campaign, Little earned three second place finishes and also placed within the top-10 in seven out of ten competitions.  

Niblett is another player that will bring a wealth of experience to the NWCC women's golf team, with her best finish of her freshman season coming from a ninth place finish at the NEMCC Women's Spring Invitational.  

"Our sophomore women will be great leaders and examples to the freshmen on how to work while building excellent team chemistry," Payne said. 

The incoming freshmen for the women's golf team will bring a fresh energy to the team. Two freshmen in particular that will look to make their mark are Avery Baker and Rylee Claire Summerlin. As a senior, Baker led her alma mater, Hernando High School, to both a third place district finish that resulted in a trip to the MHSAA 7A Championship. Summerlin played under Payne during his time at Northwest Rankin High School. During her time at Northwest Rankin, Summerlin led her team to a pair of MHSAA 7A State Championships and three district championships.  

"The incoming freshmen class is loaded with talent from top to bottom which is rare," Payne said. "I'm most excited to see how far this talented group will go." 

The men's golf team will kick off the fall portion of their season at their home course of Tunica National Golf & Tennis on August 31 and September 1 for the Ranger Invitational. NWCC men's golf will then travel to Montevallo, Ala., to participate in the Montevallo Invitational from September 8 to September 9.  

Ranger men's golf will then travel to a conference foe in Meridian Community College from October 5 to October 6 to take part in the Jim Redgate Invitational. Then, Northwest men's golf team will travel to participate in another MACCC hosted event, the Charles Cooper Classic hosted by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on October 26 and October 27. The last competition slated for the fall of 2026 for the Ranger men's golf team is the Jones College Invitational on November 2 and November 3.  

The team will continue their season in the spring of 2027. 

The women's golf team will kick off their season when they travel to Montevallo, Ala., to participate in the Montevallo Invitational from September 8 to September 9. The next week will see the Rangers host their own version of the Rangers Invitational at River Bend Links in Tunica from September 14 to September 15.  

The NWCC women's golf team will then travel to the Roane State Invitational on October 5 and October 6. Ranger women's golf once again hits the road on October 12 and October 13 to participate in the Snead State Fall Invitational. Northwest women's golf closes out the first half of their season with the Shelton State Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on November 9 and November 10.  

Like the men's golf team, the Northwest women's golf team will continue their season in the spring of 2027.  

"This is year three of both programs, and both teams are moving in positive directions," Payne said. "This should be a big turning point with the talent we have." 

To stay up to date on both the NWCC men's and NWCC women's golf team, follow the Ranger social media accounts or go to nwccrangers.com.