%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
A pair of state high school champions will be joining the Nebraska men's golf team for the 2025-26 season, Husker Head Coach Judd Cornell announced on Thursday, Nov. 13.
Thomas Bryson, the 2022 Nebraska Class A state champion, and Caden Mickelson, the 2023 Missouri Class 5A state champion, will bring extensive high school and junior golf accomplishments with them to the Husker program.
"I'm excited to welcome both Caden and Thomas to our program," Cornell said. "They have both had great success during their junior careers, and I'm confident they will continue that success at the college level. They're both Midwest guys who will thrive being student-athletes at Nebraska. I'm very excited for them."
Bryson, a senior at Lincoln Southeast High School in 2024-25, was the Nebraska Class A individual state champion in the spring of 2022. Bryson, who finished with a 141 (-3) over two rounds to claim the state title as a freshman for the Knights, was also the 2022 Nebraska Junior Amateur Golfer of the Year.
In the summer of 2021, prior to his freshman season at Southeast, Bryson won the Nebraska Junior PGA title with a two-round total of 134 (-10) at Stone Creek Golf Club. In the summer of 2022, he was the low Junior at the Nebraska Amateur at Firethorn Golf Club, including the low round of the championship with a 66 (-5). He finished in a tie for fifth overall. He also tied for fifth at the Nebraska Junior Amateur in Beatrice.
Following his sophomore season at Lincoln Southeast, Bryson was the runner-up at the 2023 Nebraska Junior Match Play at the Wayne Country Club. He also won the Arizona Biltmore HJGT and he was the Colorado Junior AJGA champion in the summer of 2023, while representing the state in the annual Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup matches for the second consecutive year.
Bryson, who was a 2024 Class A All-State selection, is the son of former Husker men's golfer Kevin Bryson (2000-03) and women's golfer Beth Anne (Cherry) Bryson (2002-05).
Mickelson, a senior in 2024-25, was the Missouri Class 5A state champion with a two-round total of 142 (-2) as a sophomore at Liberty North High School in the spring of 2023. He added a runner-up finish at the Missouri state championship as a junior in 2024 with back-to-back rounds of 69.
Mickelson went on to finish sixth in a field of 304 golfers at the 2024 National High School Championships in Frisco, Texas. He fired rounds of 67, 72 and 69 at PGA Frisco.
Mickelson, who was the top-ranked junior in Missouri in the class of 2025 according to Junior Golf Scoreboard, also qualified for the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan.