Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs boys golf start 2026 season with win at Portsmouth Invitational; Nolan Wilkin meet medalist
The 2026 Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs boys golf team is pictured after winning the 2026 Portsmouth Invitational on Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Lynchburg-Clay golf).
The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs boys golf team — who were Division II state qualifiers and Southern Hills Athletic Conference champions last year — opened their 2026 season on the links with a team victory against 27 other schools at the Portsmouth Invitational Thursday at the Portsmouth Elks Country Club.
The season-opening event on July 30 consisted of 101 golfers, and standing as the event champion was Lynchburg-Clay junior Nolan Wilkin, winning the event as the meet medalist with a score of 71 for a 1-under-par score for the event (par for the course is 72).
The Mustangs captured the team championship with a score of 311, with second place going to the Westfall Mustangs at 325. Third place was the Ironton Fighting Tigers (327), followed in fourth place by the Waterford Wildcats at 328, and fifth place was the Gallia Academy Blue Devils with a score of 335.
Also in the Top 10 team scores were 6, Circleville (338); 7, Fairfield Christian Academy (348); 8, Portsmouth West (357); 9, West Union (361); and tied for 10th place were Piketon and Manchester with team scores of 363.
The Fairfield Lions finished in 12th place at 372, and the rest of the final team standings included: 13, Fairland (379); 14, Wheelersburg (386); 15, Logan Elm (406); 16T, Zane Trace (408); 16T, Notre Dame (408); 18, Minford (418); 19, Dawson-Bryant (419); 20, Eastern Brown (431); 21, Southern (432); and 22, Valley (444).
As for the Mustangs, junior Jackson West shot a score of 73 for second place. LC junior Kristian Beachy finished with a score of 81 for 18th place. LC senior Austin Manning rounded out the scoring with an 86 for 28th place.
For the Fairfield Lions, in 20th place overall was senior Van Bennington with a score of 83, while sophomore teammate Pierce Abbott was 40th place overall with a score of 89.
(Editor’s note: Thank to to Kevin Colley of the Portsmouth Daily Times and Lynchburg-Clay golf team for information on the event.)