Kamden Brakel was hired as the Sacramento State men’s golf coach in August of 2015.
During his first year leading Sacramento State, the Hornets six top-five finishes, including victories at the Pacific Invitational and the Sacramento State Invitational. The team also posted the five lowest single-round scores in school history, including setting the record with a 271 at the Pacific Invitational. Sacramento State also set the school three-round record after totaling 837 at the Nick Watney Invitational at Fresno State.
Individually, Aaron Beverly averaged 71.83 to become the first Hornet to finish the year with a below-par average. Beverly was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Year and advanced to the NCAA regional.
Brakel was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year following the 2016-17 season. That year, the team finished first at the Big Sky Championship and advanced to the NCAA Stanford Regional. Including the conference tournament, Sacramento State finished among the top three in four events. Beverly repeated as Big Sky Player of the Year and was one of three Hornets named to the all-league first team.
Sacramento State added its second conference title under Brakel with a convincing 19-stroke win in 2021. The team was led by Ethan Davidson who was the medalist after a birdie on the 16th hole broke a tie and gave him a 1-stroke win. Brakel was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
The Hornets set the school scoring record during the 2021-22 season with a team average of 288.03. That season, Sacramento State finished in third place at the Big Sky Championship in a year where the top three teams were separated by only three strokes and the top four teams by only five strokes
During the 2022-23 season, Casey Leebrick was the medalist at the Big Sky Championship and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament as an individual. Leebrick shot 64-71-67-202 at the Big Sky tournament to set the school 54-hole record at the event.
The following year (2023-24), Brakel guided the Hornets to another Big Sky Conference Championship. The team held the lead following all three rounds of the tournament and finished three strokes ahead of the closest team. Sacramento State’s stroke average of 27 was the second-lowest in school history.
While playing at Hawaii, Brakel competed in 35 tournaments over his four-year career. He was in the lineup in at least seven tournaments each season and recorded a 69 for his lowest round. Brakel graduated with a degree in finance in 2011. He also succeeded in the classroom, earning academic all-Western Athletic Conference honors as a freshman and senior and was the team’s top scholar athlete his last two years.
After graduation, Brakel worked in the insurance and wine industries before choosing to return to collegiate golf. He grew wine grapes for LangeTwins Winery and also served a labor manager for vineyard operations.
Originally from Acampo, Calif., Brakel was a league champion at Lodi High School all four years. His family is no stranger to Sacramento State as his sister, Kercia, competed for the women’s golf team from 2011-14.
Kamden and his wife, Alexandra, were married in 2012. The couple have three children: Declan, Olivia and Teagan.
