GORHAM, Maine – University of Southern Maine head men's golf coach Brian Bickford has been named the 2026 Little East Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to their third consecutive conference title. This is also his third consecutive time being chosen by his peers as LEC Coach of the Year.
 
Bickford, a 1987 USM graduate, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Huskies. In addition to leading the Huskies to their third straight conference title, Bickford's team has won three event titles with first-place finishes at the John Queenan Memorial Invitational, the Castleton Invitational and the Southern Maine Community College Seawolf Shootout.
 
Four members of the team earned All-LEC honors this season led by 2026 LEC Player and Rookie of the Year SJ Welch (Newport, Maine/Nokomis Regional). He is the first Husky to win the LEC Player of the Year award and the third Husky to win a conference Player of the Year. Bickford has now coached two LEC Rookies of the Year during his tenure.
 
Under Bickford, Southern Maine has developed into one of the top programs in New England. The Huskies placed fourth at the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association Men's Golf Championship last season, the program's highest placement in 12 years. On the national stage, the Huskies placed 36th at last year's National Championship, a six-place improvement from their first trip to Nationals in 2024.
 
The Huskies will return to action in the spring as they prepare for a trip to the 2027 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship on May 18-21 at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va.