It’s the end of another routine practice for the EMU disc golf team when Jesse Longenecker turns to his teammates, a disc in hand and a smile on his face. “Do you guys want to see this fly really far?” he asks, as the other players buzz with excitement. The first-year environmental science major stands at the south end of the track & field complex and lets the disc fly. It slices through the air above the grassy pitch, clears the hammer and discus cage, the shot put circles, and the eight-lane track, soars beyond the perimeter fence, and finally touches down in the baseball outfield. After a quick measurement by disc golf coach Trevor Oyer ’19, the throw clocks in at 620 feet. “That’s longer than two football fields,” Oyer said. “There are very few people in the world who can throw that far.”
That jaw-dropping throw was just a preview of what was to come. Weeks later, on April 2 and 3, Longenecker went on to win the 2025 College Disc Golf National Championship in Division I singles. Held at the famed Winthrop University Disc Golf Course in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the championship featured top players from colleges across the U.S. and Canada. The EMU first-year opened with an impressive nine-under-par 52 in the first round of 18 holes. He finished strong, securing a three-stroke victory after the final nine holes and fending off tough challengers from the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor, Emporia State University and Redeemer University.
“It’s a huge honor to win a national championship,” Longenecker said. “This has been a dream I’ve had for a long time, ever since I decided I wanted to play college disc golf, so it all feels unreal to me.”
“I am more proud, though, of how much this means for the EMU program,” he told The Weather Vane. “There is so much family history for me here. My grandpa (Charles ’57) taught here, and my parents (Lynn ’94 and Laurie ’94) and siblings (Nathan and Maria) came here. Being a part of making a name for EMU in the college disc golf world is so special to me.”
Despite EMU’s small size—it had the seventh-lowest enrollment among the 80 schools competing at nationals—the Royals disc golf squad has proven it can hold its own against much larger programs. In addition to Longenecker topping the men’s singles leaderboards, the women’s duo of senior Sadie Oesch and junior Miriam Rhodes finished 11th, and the men’s A team of Longenecker, first-year Theo Andreas, and juniors Eli Stoll and Beck Jantzi finished 18th in Division I. Because disc golf is not an NCAA sport, schools of all sizes compete against one another, with the top qualifying teams placed in the Division I category.
Playing for his brother
Longenecker occasionally played disc golf growing up, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that he fully committed to the sport. As a middle schooler, he spent nearly every day playing with his older brother, Nathan, and his dad at courses around their Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home. On days when he couldn’t make it to the course, he would spend hours practicing throws in the field by his house.
Nathan was a passionate and skilled disc golfer who became just the fifth player to join the young EMU team in 2020. “Nathan was an incredible person and disc golfer, but he never got to play in any college disc golf events,” Oyer said. Nathan was diagnosed with brain cancer during his first year at EMU and passed away in October 2021, just eight months later. In April 2022, the nine-hole disc golf course on the EMU Hill was dedicated in his honor. After his brother’s passing, Jesse Longenecker made a promise to himself: he would play college disc golf to honor Nathan’s memory.
“It just feels so good to be here, to be able to do this,” Longenecker said in a PDGA write-up after his nationals victory. “I just wish Nathan could have had the same experience.”
‘A generational player’
As a result of his first-place finish at nationals, Longenecker earned a bid to the 2025 U.S. Disc Golf Championship held at the Winthrop course from Oct. 9-12, where he will compete against all of the highest-rated professional players in the world. Longenecker boasts a player rating of 1021, making him the second-highest-rated player in college disc golf and a top-100 player overall. According to his PDGA profile, he has earned 16 wins out of 78 career events and accumulated $12,225 in career earnings.
This isn’t the first time he’s teed off against the best of the best. Last August, he finished 49th in the 2024 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championship in Lynchburg, Virginia. Though he’ll miss this year’s world championship, which will be held in Finland from July 26 to Aug. 3, he has plenty of tournaments lined up. He’s looking forward to competing across the East Coast this summer, with events in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Michigan, and New York. To follow his progress, visit his PDGA page at pdga.com/player/149546.
Part of what makes Longenecker such a formidable opponent is his mental fortitude and ability to excel in high-pressure situations, his coach said. “He’s a generational player,” Oyer said. “He is one of the most talented players in the history of college disc golf.”
More coverage
- Daily News-Record: EMU freshman Longenecker claims disc golf national title
Jesse you are amazing. And what an honor to carry on Nathan’s legacy. Your great uncle, and 1966 EMU grad.