Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini men's golfers Max Herendeen and Dane Huddleston have been named to the Golfweek Preseason All-America team. Herendeen received second-team honors, while Huddleston was placed on the third team.

Illinois is among nine programs in the country with more than one golfer recognized on this year's Golfweek Preseason All-America list.

Herendeen was also included this week on the Haskins Award Preseason Watch List. He is a two-time PING All-American, having earned second-team honors in 2024 and honorable mention in 2025. This achievement makes him the first Illinois golfer since Charlie Danielson to receive back-to-back All-America recognition from the GCAA during his freshman and sophomore years. Last season, Herendeen advanced to the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Championship and led his team with an average score of 70.85. He also had a head-to-head record of 1023-179-28 (.843), tied for most rounds in the 60s (14), and recorded two of Illinois' three lowest individual rounds of the year, both at 63 (-7). His top finish came at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, where he tied for first place before finishing second after a playoff.

Herendeen's summer included his PGA TOUR debut at the 3M Open and appearances in match play at both the Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur championships, reaching the Round of 16 in each event. He is currently ranked No. 17 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Huddleston transferred to Illinois following a standout sophomore season at Utah Valley University (UVU). In 2024-25, he played all 11 regular-season tournaments, won five individual titles—including the WAC Championship—and finished fifth as an individual at the NCAA Reno Regional, missing advancement by one shot. With five tournament wins that season, Huddleston became UVU's all-time leader in career victories and achieved one of only four seasons with five or more wins in NCAA Division I history; only Jay Don Blake (Utah State), Tiger Woods (Stanford), and Matt Hill (NC State) have recorded more wins in a single season.

As a freshman during 2023-24, Huddleston played every tournament for UVU with a team-best scoring average of 71.84 and earned First Team All-WAC honors. Over his career at Utah Valley, he competed in 66 rounds across 23 events with an overall scoring average of 70.68.

The Fighting Illini will begin their new season hosting one of college golf’s major events—the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational—at Olympia Fields Country Club from September 19-21.