ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Chico State senior Naoki Easterday added another accolade to an already decorated season after earning NCAA Division II PING All-America Honorable Mention honors, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced.
 
Easterday becomes one of 28 golfers nationwide to receive PING All-America Honorable Mention recognition following a standout senior campaign that established him as one of the top players in the West Region.
 
The Portland, Ore., native was named the 2025-26 CCAA Golfer of the Year after leading Chico State to its first conference championship since 2018. He finished the season ranked No. 2 in the NCAA West Region and No. 48 nationally while posting a 71.0 adjusted scoring average across 30 rounds.
 
Easterday recorded two tournament victories during the season, claiming medalist honors at both the Chico State Wildcat Classic and Palm Valley Classic. He finished among the top five in six of his 10 tournaments and carded five top-three finishes overall. Only once all season did he finish a tournament over par.
 
His All-America honor comes on the heels of a third consecutive PING All-West Region selection, making him one of the most accomplished golfers in program history. Easterday also closed his collegiate career with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional.
 
The Wildcats captured the 2026 CCAA Championship and advanced to NCAA postseason competition behind Easterday's leadership. Chico State won four tournaments during the year, including three consecutive team titles during the spring season.
 
About the GCAA
The GCAA has recognized NCAA Division II PING All-Americans since 1975. Honorees are selected based on their performance throughout the season, including regional and national championship results.
 
About PING All-Americans
The GCAA began naming NCAA Division II All-Americans in 1975, with PING sponsoring the award since at least 1991. For Division II, the First Team consists of eight golfers (nine if the individual national champion wasn’t already named to the First Team), eight on the Second Team, eight on the Third Team, and at least 16 earn Honorable Mention All-America honors. Automatic additions from GCAA member schools to Honorable Mention if not previously named include top-15 finishers at the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championship, the top two players in each All-Region ballot, and NCAA Division II Regional Medalists.
 
About PING
PING designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, wedges, putters and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 in the garage of the late Karsten Solheim, a mechanical engineer with an extensive background in the aerospace and computer industries. His frustration with his putting inspired him to design his own putter, which created a “pinging” sound when striking a golf ball. This sound was the source of the name now synonymous with innovation, quality, and service throughout the world of golf. Solheim and his company are credited with numerous innovations that became industry standards, including perimeter weighting, custom fitting, and the use of investment casting in the manufacturing of golf clubs. His insistence on adhering to strict engineering principles and tight manufacturing tolerances raised the level of product performance and quality throughout the golf industry. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer. Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim’s grandson, John K. Solheim, who leads a team of more than 800 dedicated employees committed to helping improve the games of golfers around the world.