Goshen College to add disc golf teams for 2026, Jason Samuel to serve as head coach

Men’s and women’s disc golf will become the 17th and 18th teams at Goshen College, announced Dwight Gingerich, athletic director. The Maple Leafs will begin their inaugural season in the fall of 2026 with Jason Samuel as the program’s head coach.

“We have added these programs after assessment because we have an amazing champion in Jason, who is a local, state and national leader in disc golf,” Gingerich said. “As well, this program has the potential to help us grow enrollment and achieve competitive success.”

Samuel, who currently serves as the elected state coordinator of the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), will step into the head coach role full time on Feb. 1 to begin recruiting and preparing for the fall start. He is currently an associate professor of communication at Goshen College and the general manager of the award-winning 91.1FM, The Globe, where he will continue part time.

“I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity and obviously excited. The time is right,” Samuel said. “We’ve come full circle from my days of throwing beach frisbees at trash cans and trees on campus to being selected to lead and build this program.”

As a member of the Great Lakes Conference in College Disc Golf, GC will compete against NCAA and NAIA schools from around the country. Goshen joins Crossroads League members Mount Vernon Nazarene, Spring Arbor and Taylor as competing schools in the Great Lakes Conference. Other conference members include Bowling Green, Calvin, Cincinnati, Ferris State, Grand Valley State, Great Lakes Christian, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Technological, Notre Dame, Ohio, Ohio State, Toledo and Western Michigan.

Collegiate disc golf competition is sanctioned by College Disc Golf and the Professional Disc Golf Association. The national championship is held every April in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

There are nearly 300 disc golf programs and colleges nationwide, and participation is increasing across all demographics. Two of the most significant growth centers are with youth and female players, and the number of disc golf courses worldwide doubled from 2015 to 2020. Additionally, Indiana hosted over 200 disc golf events this year, the sixth-most nationwide. Regionally, only Michigan hosted more with 240.

In addition to his state leadership role, Samuel runs numerous tournaments and leagues in Elkhart County and one-day pop-up events in underserved parks in LaPorte and LaGrange counties.

Elkhart County has six disc golf courses alone, with three in Goshen. The 24-hole Ox Bow Flying Disc Sanctuary, which Samuel helped expand in 2001 and completely remodeled in 2024, is one of the Midwest’s classic heritage courses and will be the home of the Maple Leafs.

Samuel is a recipient of the Indiana Eagle Award for disc golf leadership and commitment to excellence. His dedication to community service is exemplified in his volunteer role as the director of the Maple City Ice Bowl, the largest one-day disc golf fundraiser in North America. The Maple City Ice Bowl supports the Window Food Pantry in Goshen, and is a part of The Ice Bowl nationwide network of disc golf tournaments held in winter to raise funds for hungry families. Since 2021, the Maple City Ice Bowl has raised over $134,000 to help feed, clothe and care for the people of Elkhart County.

Men’s and women’s bowling were the most recent teams added to Maple Leaf Athletics, making their debuts in 2024, and men’s volleyball played its first varsity season in 2019. With disc golf added to the expanded mix of sports, Goshen College provides opportunities for Maple Leafs that fit both regional and student interests.

Goshen College is a renowned college in Northern Indiana with award-winning programs that educate the head and heart, creating global citizens who lead with courage and compassion. With disc golf added, the Maple Leafs will now compete in 18 varsity sports, continuing a tradition of intercollegiate athletics that dates to 1956 and included women’s competition nearly a decade before Title IX. For more information on GC athletics, visit GoLeafs.net and follow the Maple Leafs on Facebook, X and Instagram at @GC_MapleLeafs.