MOBILE, Ala. – Senior Ryan Voois secured the second victory of his career on Tuesday, leading the Fighting Illini to the team's second win of the season at the Hal Williams Collegiate at Magnolia Grove Golf Club's Crossings Course.
The 2026 title marks the Illini's fourth win at the Hal Williams Collegiate – formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate – after taking home the crown in 2021, 2023 and 2024. The win is the Illini's 134th in program history, and the 96th under head coach Mike Small.
As a team Illinois, No. 13 in the NCAA men's golf team rankings and No. 6 in the final fall Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, carded a 54-hole score of 809 (-31) to pull away for a 15-stroke win over Southern Miss (-16). UAB (-14) and Eastern Michigan (-13) finished third and fourth, respectively, while Memphis and Big Ten foe Nebraska tied for fifth at 10-under.
The Illini's team score of 809 marks the lowest of the season and the fifth-lowest 54-hole tournament tally in program history.
Voois carded a three-round score of 195 (-15), highlighted by a career-best 63 (-7) in Round 2. He closed out the tournament with a 66 (-4), matching his Round 1 score, to climb one spot into a tie for medalist honors with Nebraska's Rudy Sautron, who led by two shots after 36 holes.
Voois' 195 is the second-lowest 54-hole tournament score in program history, one stroke behind Jackson Buchanan's 194 (-22) at the 2023 Tiger Collegiate Invitational.
Behind Voois, three other members of the Illini lineup posted top-25 finishes. Junior Dane Huddleston shot a career-low 201 (-9). His opening 66 on Monday and his T4 finish both established his best marks as an Illini. Sophomores Trey Marrion (-3) and Freddie Turnell (-1) closed out the scoring for the Illini in Round 3 with matching even-par 70s to finish tied for 14th and 23rd, respectively. Junior Max Herendeen rounded out the Illini lineup, finishing T44 at 214 (+4).
Three members of the Illini squad – Jake Birdwell, Ethan Wilson, and Dujuan Snyman – also competed as individuals. Birdwell posted a season-best finish (eighth) with a career-low score of 204 (-6). Wilson also matched his season-best finish (T20th), and set a season-low total score with 208. Snyman finished tied for 57th with a 6-over 216.
Next up, the Illini return to the course, March 1-3, with a tough test at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, in Las Vegas, Nev. The event, hosted by UNLV, annually draws a strong field of championship-caliber programs to test themselves on a challenging desert track. Illinois has played in the event each of the last four seasons including a thrilling win in 2023, rallying from 10 shots down in the final round to come away with the team title.
