BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - Arjun Singh Bhatia was named Northeast Conference Golfer of the Year, Tom Winn was named NEC Rookie of the Year, and Ben Belfield was named NEC Coach of the Year, as the Long Island University men's golf team swept the NEC's major end of season awards, the conference announced on Tuesday.

LIU golfers Marcelo Mexsen and Taimur Malik were also named first-team all-conference selections, as the Sharks became the first team in nine years to place three golfers on the NEC's five-person first team.

Bhatia, a sophomore, compiled an NEC-best 71.4 stroke average across 30 rounds to become the second LIU student athlete to claim the coveted accolade, joining Josh Waters, who won the award in 2013.

The Chandigarh, India native garnered three top-three finishes on the season, highlighted by a second place showing at the Ironwood Collegiate Classic in October, where he carded a 10-under 134. Hitting his stride in April, Bhatia posted third-place finishes at both the Rutherford Intercollegiate and the LIU-hosted Shark Invitational.

Leading the conference with six sub-70 rounds and 10 rounds under par this season, Singh Bhatia was awarded one NEC Golfer of the Month and a pair of NEC Golfer of the Week honors, marking the sixth-most in a single season in conference history.

Winn rounded out his freshman season with a sixth-place finish at the NEC Championship, carding a 4-over 217. The Brisbane, Queensland, Australia native tied as the top freshman finisher in the field of 60.

In his collegiate debut last fall, Winn's sixth-place performance helped lead the Sharks to the team title at the Doc Gimmler, shooting a 2-over 213, highlighted by a 3-under 67 in the second round. Winn's season culminated with a strong run of form, stringing together three consecutive top-25 finishes. 

Winn led all NEC freshmen with a 73.8 stroke average and ranked tenth overall on the conference circuit. He became LIU's third NEC Rookie of the Year, joining Obe Ayton (2012) and Marcelo Mexsen (2023).

Belfield was named Coach of the Year for the third time in his six-year tenure at LIU (2021 & 2023). He stands alongside legendary coach and LIU Hall of Famer Lonnie Barton - who won the award in 2000 and 2004 - as the only two coaches in program history to receive the honor.

Belfield guided the Sharks to eight top-five finishes this season, punctuated by a title-winning effort at the Doc Gimmler in the team's season-opener. LIU also took second at the Ironwood Collegiate Classic in the fall, shooting a combined 26-under par as a team. Come the spring, the Sharks fell just short at the NEC Championship, finishing just two strokes behind Howard while sporting three of the top ten individual performers.

Mexsen, the 2023 NEC Rookie of the Year, is now a three-time all-conference selection and two-time first team pick. A junior from Torreon, Mexico, Mexsen capped his season with a runner-up finish at the NEC Championship, where he carded a 2-under 211, highlighted by a tournament-best 3-under 68 in the second round.

Mexsen, whose career highlight came when he won the NEC individual title as a freshman, has now notched three top 10 finishes at the conference championship. His 72.8 stroke average on the season ranked second in the league and he recorded three top-10 finishes on the year.

Malik upgraded his status from All-NEC second team to first team status in 2024-25. Carding a 5-over 2018, he tied for ninth at the NEC Championship, an eight-spot improvement from the previous year.

A junior from Nairobi, Kenya, Malik finished third in the NEC with a 73.0 round average and recorded three top 10 finishes, headlined by a fourth-place outing at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate last fall.