RICHMOND, Va. - William & Mary freshman Talon Dingledine became the first Tribe men's golfer to be named the CAA Rookie of the Year, the league announced on Wednesday.
 
Dingledine was also named to the All-CAA Second Team after a standout first season. He is the Tribe's first Tribe player to earn All-CAA honors since Matthew Feinstein in 2023 and the first Green and Gold rookie to earn all-league honors.
 
The Chesterfield, Va., native leads the Tribe with a stroke average of 72.03. It stands as the best in school history for a freshman and the second best average overall. He posted top 10 performances in seven of the Tribe's 10 events, including two top 5's. His top-10 total ranks second in school history, while Dingledine posted 14 rounds of par or better, which also ranks second in W&M lore.
 
Most recently, Dingledine earned CAA All-Tournament honors, finishing as the runner-up at the CAA Championships in a Tribe championship record score of 9-under 207. He closed out the tournament with a 6-under 66, which equaled the best mark at the conference championship for a W&M player.
 
Dingledine earned a top 10 at the first four tournaments of the fall, including a four-place showing at The Goat, Sept. 20-21. He shot the ninth-best score in school history with a 6-under 210 to place sixth at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational, Sept. 29-30. Dingledine also finished eighth at Bryan National Collegiate (Sept. 6-7) and the Georgetown Intercollegiate (Oct. 13-14) during the fall season. 
 
During the spring, he was ninth at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate, helping W&M to its home tournament title for the first time since 2005. Dingledine also posted a seventh-place finish at the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge (April 6-8), shooting a 4-under 212.  
 
UNCW's James Rico was named the CAA Player of the Year, while the Seahawks' Blake Taylor was selected as the league coach of the year. Elon's Drew Yeagley shared CAA Rookie of the Year honors with Dingledine. Charleston's Loran Appel and Miles Eubanks and UNCW's John Logan and Gray Mitchum joined Rico on the All-CAA First Team. Campbell's Erik Johansson, Charleston's Nevill Ruiter, Elon's Jack Wieler, and UNCW's Preston Worch were part of the All-CAA Second Team along with Dingledine and Yeagley.
 
Dingledine and the Tribe close out the year, competing in the postseason for the first since 2002. W&M takes part in the 2026 Golfweek National Golf Invitational, May 22-24, at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz.