BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Florida A&M Men's Golfers
Emilio Garcia and
Vicente Rodriguez have been recognized by the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) as Men's Golfer of the Week and Newcomer of the Week for the period of October 20-26, announced Tuesday by the league office in Birmingham, Alabama.
Emilio Garcia, a 5-foot-7 junior from Orlando, Florida, fired a 4-under par 136 over the course of the weekend, helping Florida A&M to the team title while he captured the individual medalist award at the 2026 edition of the SAS Championship HBCU Invitational housed at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina. Garcia followed an opening 68 with another 68 at par-70, 7,015-yard Prestonwood Country Club to finish one stroke ahead of three golfers tied at 3-under 137 – FAMU teammate
Skyler Woods (68-69), North Carolina A&T's Jorge Hernandez (66-71) and North Carolina Central's Jamal Hutchison (68-69). Garcia started the final round, two strokes behind Hernandez, who opened with a tournament-low 66. Hernandez slipped to a 71 on Sunday, while Garcia's 68 was the second-lowest round of the day, behind only Chicago State's Kaleb Lambert's 67.
As for
Vicente Rodriguez, a 6-foot-1 senior from El Dorado Hills, California, he is earning his first-ever SWAC Newcomer of the Week award with the Rattlers after transferring from Alabama A&M. Rodriguez finished with a top 10 finish shooting 68 in the first round at the SAS Championship HBCU Invitational housed at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina. He picked up where he left off following his appearance at NCAA Regionals while a member of the AAMU Bulldogs, and now adds his first weekly honor of the season with the Orange and Green.
The Rattlers will next compete at the Fripp Island Intercollegiate, hosted by USC Upstate, on Oct. 23-25.
Follow Florida A&M Athletics on Twitter (
@FAMUathletics) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (
@FAMUathletics) and Facebook (
FAMUath)
for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Rattlers Athletics.
