Tuesday, September 8
Riverside, IA (Bluetop Ridge GC)
North Dakota State
vs
America Needs Farmers Fall Classic
Photo by: The Summit League
NDSU Men’s Golf to Open Season at ANF Fall Classic in Iowa
9/4/2026 2:18:00 PM | Men's Golf
FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State men's golf team opens up their 2026-27 fall campaign at the America Needs Farmers Fall Classic in Riverside, Iowa, on September 8-9.
Tournament Schedule
The America Needs Farmers Fall Classic will be a 54-hole tournament played over the course of two days, with the first 36 holes being played on Tuesday and the final 18 on Wednesday.
Follow the Action
Live results for the America Needs Farmers Fall Classic will be provided by Scoreboard Live, powered by Clippd. A link to the live scoring for the tournament can be found on the Men's Golf Schedule page on gobison.com.
The Tournament Field
14 teams will be competing at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa. In addition to the Bison, the tournament field will include Western Kentucky, Evansville, Chicago State, Valparaiso, Western Illinois, Creighton, Northern Iowa, Green Bay, Bradley, South Dakota, Omaha, Eastern Illinois, and the hosts Iowa.
The Course
Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa is a championship level course nestled into the prairies of eastern Iowa. Spanning 7,481 yards from the back tees, the course was designed by Rees Jones and opened in 2008. Consistently ranked among the top courses in the state of Iowa, Blue Top Ridge hosts the Iowa Open every summer. The average yardage of the par-three's is 212 yards, requiring golfers to be precise with their irons off the tee. The course also features two 600-plus yard par fives. Hole 7 spans 615 yards and requires golfers to carry their tee shot over a man-made lake, while Hole 16 runs 665-yards along the property's western edge. The course closes with a difficult 485-yard par four, providing a challenge for golfers as they complete their round.
Last Time Out
The Bison returned to the NCAA regionals as a team for the second time in program history to wrap up the 2025-26 season. The Bison finished in 14th place at The Gallery North Course in Marana, Arizona with an overall score of +23. Senior Rylin Petry led the charge, finishing in a tie for 28th at +1 overall (217). Freshman Andrew Ballou closed the tournament in a tie for 53rd at +6 (222) while Carter White tied for 58th with a +8 (224). Gabe Benson tied for 61st at +10 (226) and Jake Skarperud tied for 69th with a +12 (228).
BISON IN IOWA
The NDSU Men's Golf team has opened up their fall season in Iowa one other time in the Division 1 era, competing in the Iowa Fall Classic at Blue Top Ridge on Sep 5-6, 2023. The Bison finished in fourth place, compiling rounds of 285, 290, and 296 to close at +7 on the tournament. Current assistant coach Nate Adams finished in a tie for fifth at two-under, notching three birdies in the final round to move up three spots on the leaderboard.
Bison Competing
NDSU will take six golfers down to Iowa for the tournament. The Bison lineup will include third year golfer Sean Moore, second year golfers Carter White and Andrew Ballou, and first year golfers Henry Johnson, Elias Ekern and Peyton Albers.
The Doctor
Head coach Dr. Ekren Miller made quite the impression in his first season at the helm, leading the Bison to victories in the first two tournaments of the season and the second Summit League Championship in team history. With the conference championship victory, the Bison headed to their second NCAA Regional as a team and competed alongside thirteen other teams in Marana, Arizona.
Youth Movement
Three Bison, Rylin Petry, Jake Skarperud, and Gabe Benson all graduated at the conclusion of last season, ushering in a youth movement for the 2026-27 season. The Bison have three first year golfers in Elias Ekern, Peyton Albers and Henry Johnson, three returning second year golfers in Andrew Ballou, Joey Mackinac and Carter White, two returning third year golfers in Carter Spalding and Sean Moore and one third year transfer in Brogan Paschal.
Picking Up Where He Left Off
Second year golfer Andrew Ballou quickly inserted himself into the starting lineup for NDSU last season, compiling 35 rounds over the course of the year. He posted consecutive top 12 finishes in his first three tournaments, and helped guide the Bison to the Summit League Championship with a fifth-place finish individually.
Beaver To Bison
Third year golfer Brogan Paschal is the only Bison this season to transfer in from outside the program. Paschal was a standout golfer at Bemidji State over the past two seasons, collecting a career average of 73.89 that ranks second in Beaver's history. He recorded two top-10 finishes and four top-20 finishes, and fired a 71 in the final round of the 2026 NSIC Men's Golf Championship in April.
Minnesota Roots
Six of the nine Bison golfers in 2026 hail from Minnesota, with Sean Moore and Brogan Paschal coming from Arizona and Peyton Albers arriving from Wisconsin. Even the coaching staff has Minnesota ties, with head coach Dr. Ekren Miller spending 15 years as the head coach at Bemidji State and assistant coach Nate Adams hailing from Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Looking Ahead
NDSU will return to competition next week at the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Kansas State in Manhattan Kansas.
Tournament Schedule
The America Needs Farmers Fall Classic will be a 54-hole tournament played over the course of two days, with the first 36 holes being played on Tuesday and the final 18 on Wednesday.
Follow the Action
Live results for the America Needs Farmers Fall Classic will be provided by Scoreboard Live, powered by Clippd. A link to the live scoring for the tournament can be found on the Men's Golf Schedule page on gobison.com.
The Tournament Field
14 teams will be competing at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa. In addition to the Bison, the tournament field will include Western Kentucky, Evansville, Chicago State, Valparaiso, Western Illinois, Creighton, Northern Iowa, Green Bay, Bradley, South Dakota, Omaha, Eastern Illinois, and the hosts Iowa.
The Course
Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa is a championship level course nestled into the prairies of eastern Iowa. Spanning 7,481 yards from the back tees, the course was designed by Rees Jones and opened in 2008. Consistently ranked among the top courses in the state of Iowa, Blue Top Ridge hosts the Iowa Open every summer. The average yardage of the par-three's is 212 yards, requiring golfers to be precise with their irons off the tee. The course also features two 600-plus yard par fives. Hole 7 spans 615 yards and requires golfers to carry their tee shot over a man-made lake, while Hole 16 runs 665-yards along the property's western edge. The course closes with a difficult 485-yard par four, providing a challenge for golfers as they complete their round.
Last Time Out
The Bison returned to the NCAA regionals as a team for the second time in program history to wrap up the 2025-26 season. The Bison finished in 14th place at The Gallery North Course in Marana, Arizona with an overall score of +23. Senior Rylin Petry led the charge, finishing in a tie for 28th at +1 overall (217). Freshman Andrew Ballou closed the tournament in a tie for 53rd at +6 (222) while Carter White tied for 58th with a +8 (224). Gabe Benson tied for 61st at +10 (226) and Jake Skarperud tied for 69th with a +12 (228).
BISON IN IOWA
The NDSU Men's Golf team has opened up their fall season in Iowa one other time in the Division 1 era, competing in the Iowa Fall Classic at Blue Top Ridge on Sep 5-6, 2023. The Bison finished in fourth place, compiling rounds of 285, 290, and 296 to close at +7 on the tournament. Current assistant coach Nate Adams finished in a tie for fifth at two-under, notching three birdies in the final round to move up three spots on the leaderboard.
Bison Competing
NDSU will take six golfers down to Iowa for the tournament. The Bison lineup will include third year golfer Sean Moore, second year golfers Carter White and Andrew Ballou, and first year golfers Henry Johnson, Elias Ekern and Peyton Albers.
The Doctor
Head coach Dr. Ekren Miller made quite the impression in his first season at the helm, leading the Bison to victories in the first two tournaments of the season and the second Summit League Championship in team history. With the conference championship victory, the Bison headed to their second NCAA Regional as a team and competed alongside thirteen other teams in Marana, Arizona.
Youth Movement
Three Bison, Rylin Petry, Jake Skarperud, and Gabe Benson all graduated at the conclusion of last season, ushering in a youth movement for the 2026-27 season. The Bison have three first year golfers in Elias Ekern, Peyton Albers and Henry Johnson, three returning second year golfers in Andrew Ballou, Joey Mackinac and Carter White, two returning third year golfers in Carter Spalding and Sean Moore and one third year transfer in Brogan Paschal.
Picking Up Where He Left Off
Second year golfer Andrew Ballou quickly inserted himself into the starting lineup for NDSU last season, compiling 35 rounds over the course of the year. He posted consecutive top 12 finishes in his first three tournaments, and helped guide the Bison to the Summit League Championship with a fifth-place finish individually.
Beaver To Bison
Third year golfer Brogan Paschal is the only Bison this season to transfer in from outside the program. Paschal was a standout golfer at Bemidji State over the past two seasons, collecting a career average of 73.89 that ranks second in Beaver's history. He recorded two top-10 finishes and four top-20 finishes, and fired a 71 in the final round of the 2026 NSIC Men's Golf Championship in April.
Minnesota Roots
Six of the nine Bison golfers in 2026 hail from Minnesota, with Sean Moore and Brogan Paschal coming from Arizona and Peyton Albers arriving from Wisconsin. Even the coaching staff has Minnesota ties, with head coach Dr. Ekren Miller spending 15 years as the head coach at Bemidji State and assistant coach Nate Adams hailing from Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Looking Ahead
NDSU will return to competition next week at the Wildcat Invitational hosted by Kansas State in Manhattan Kansas.
Players Mentioned
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