PALM COAST, Fla. – Sunday morning, the National Christian College Athletic Association held its annual National Championship Awards Banquet at Hammock Beach Resort, home of the 2025 NCCAA National Golf Championships, set to begin Monday morning. Among the awards given out was the Dan & Kelly Wood Award, which is part of the NCCAA's Game Plan 4 LIFE series. One male and one female golfer from NCCAA member schools earn the award each season, who best exemplify the Game Plan 4 LIFE standards of Love, Integrity, Faith and Excellence. The winner on the men's side was none other than Jakob Swanson (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) from the University of Northwestern, who has displayed all of these qualities, in addition to some remarkable mental courage, in both his short time at UNW and his collegiate golf career at-large.
 
The NCCAA press release can be found here.
 
Swanson, who just this week earned his third-career UMAC All-Conference honor, has been a key cog in Northwestern's fifth NCCAA National Championship-qualifying team. In his career, he has been named UMAC Player of the Week three times and NCCAA Student-Athlete of the Week once, following an historic round at the BLC Invite, where his score of 67 tied the program record for low individual round and helped the Eagles break the program record for low team round (285). In addition to his excellent play as a senior after transferring from Bethany Lutheran following the 2024 fall season, the Apple Valley native boasts a 3.63 GPA while in pursuit of a Psychology degree.
 
Jakob's success in perhaps the most mentally-taxing sport there is, is remarkable. Battling anxiety for much of his life, the senior has leaned on his faith in Christ to help him overcome any mental hurdles that may present themselves. His leadership was also felt immediately upon joining the program in the spring, says UNW Head Coach Billy Aune: "Jakob transferred to Northwestern in the spring of 2024 after playing against the Eagles for three years as a conference opponent. Jakob's ability to engage teammates in drills and competitions was evident right away last spring, as he helped lead the Eagles without having any kind of title."
 
Swanson is the fourth Northwestern Men's Golfer to win the award, joining Nick Mahowald (2019), Noah Johnson (2020) and Jackson Nyhus (2023). The Eagles will tee off at 7:10 AM CT (8:10 AM ET) on Monday to begin play at the NCCAA National Championship.