At this point, it might be easier to list the awards and accolades that Jackson Koivun hasn’t achieved in his three-year Auburn University golf career.The 21-year-old junior is a two-time national champion, having led the Tigers to their second NCAA team title in three years earlier this month in California. He’s twice been SEC Player of the Year and twice been named winner of both the Ben Hogan Award and Haskins Award as college golfer of the year.On Friday, he was named the recipient of the 2026 Jack Nicklaus Award, making him the first player in collegiate golf history to win all three player of the year awards more than once.Koivun has won the SEC individual championship three times in as many seasons. In 2025, he received the Mark H. McCormack Medal for achieving the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings at season’s end.In April, Golf.com listed him as arguably the greatest amateur player of his generation, ahead of such recent NCAA luminaries (and current pros) as UCLA’s Patrick Cantlay, Texas’ Jordan Spieth and Arizona State’s Jon Rahm.It’s for those reasons and others that Koivun is the runaway winner of the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2025-26. He easily outdistanced several competitors in voting by ASWA members, receiving nearly three times as many first-place votes as the next-highest finisher and only two fewer than the other 13 nominees combined.Auburn golf coach Nick Clinard called Koivun “an elite competitor.”“The guy competes on every shot,” Clinard said. “He's extremely focused, he's extremely driven. He has an achiever mindset — he doesn't take a shot off, ever. His positivity, his optimism, all the intangible stuff that you really need to be a great, great player, he has it.“… I'd say he's one of the better athletes to probably ever go to Auburn. I think the record speaks for itself. I don't know if the Auburn family really realizes how special he is. … It’s been a blessing and a privilege to be on a front row seat just to watch it.”Born in California but raised in Chapel Hill, N.C., Koivun said he “fell in love” with Auburn during an unofficial recruiting visit while still in high school. He called his decision to play his college golf on the Plains the “best decision of my life.”Koivun’s individual on-course highlights are too numerous to list them all, but here’s one that might illustrate his greatness. In February, he recorded back-to-back rounds of 62 at the Amer Indi Invitational in Hawaii, breaking the NCAA’s 36-hole record of 18-under par, set at the 1996 Pac-10 championship by Tiger Woods. His three-round total of 25-under bested the Auburn school 54-hole record by seven strokes.At the most-recent NCAA championships, Koivun finished just tied for 10th during the four rounds of stroke play. However, he turned the switch back on during three rounds of match play, besting NCAA individual champion and World No. 3 Preston Stout of Oklahoma State 1-Up in the semifinals, then never trailed against UCLA’s Baylor Larrabee in the championship round.The national championship capped off a college career that Koivun called “perfect.”“I've done almost everything I've wanted to do, and I've had so much fun doing it,” Koivun said. “Meeting so many people, playing so many good golf courses, and just growing with my team and coaches and everything like that — it's just been perfect.”Koivun has already earned his PGA Tour card by achieving a high-enough point total in the University Accelerated Program. On Father’s Day weekend, he’ll play in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in suburban New York.After that, it’s likely Koivun will turn pro. And when he does, he’ll do so with as sterling a set of credentials as any amateur golfer in recent history.“Honestly, I want to be the No. 1 player in the world,” Koivun said. “It’s a pretty lofty goal, but I feel like if I work hard enough and play like I know how I can play, I can definitely accomplish it. There's plenty of very, very good golfers out there, but I feel like I can get to that goal.”Koivun will be honored Sunday night at the annual Alabama Sports Writers Association Convention at Jacksonville State. The convention is presented by ALFA Insurance, the Mobile Sports Authority, the Panini Senior Bowl, the Paul W. Bryant Museum, the Alabama High School Athletic Association and Jacksonville State University.— Story by Creg Stephenson, AL.comAmateur Athlete of the Year2025 Jackson Koivun 2024 Johni Broome2023 Nick Dunlap2022 Trey Cunningham2021 Bryce Young 2020 DeVonta Smith2019 Derrick Brown2018 Casey Mize2017 Minkah Fitzpatrick2016 Jonathan Allen2015 Derrick Henry2014 Amari Cooper2013 Jameis Winston2012 Brooke Pancake2011 Trent Richardson2010 Cam Newton2009 Mark Ingram II2008 DeWanna Bonner2007 Pat White2006 JaMarcus Russell2005 DeMeco Ryans2004 Jason Campbell2003 Philip Rivers2002 Andree Pickens2001 Gabe Gross2000 Gabe Gross1999 Chris Samuels1998 Tee Martin1997 Tim Hudson1996 Meredith Willard1995 Ronald McKinnon1994 Jay Barker1993 Niesa Johnson1992 Dee Foster1991 Tim VanEgmond1990 Phillip Doyle1989 Gary Hollingsworth1988 Derrick Thomas1987 Mike Turk1986 Cornelius Bennett1985 Bo Jackson1984 Rowdy Gaines1983 David Magadan1982 Randy Campbell1981 Ed Lett1980 Rowdy Gaines1979 Joe Cribbs1978 Reginald King1977 Ozzie Newsome1976 Harvey Glance1975 Leon Douglas1974 Jerry PateAlabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral is the online home of the Alabama Sports Writers Association.Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and Blue Sky for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow