Lincoln, Neb. (July 14, 2026)—The 2026 Cornhusker State Games opened with a thrilling first weekend featuring competition in 40 sports at venues in Fremont, Grand Island, Lincoln, Omaha, and several other communities in Nebraska.
One of the weekend’s standout stories came from Evan Sheets from Lincoln, who successfully defended his 6U Miniature Golf title. After shooting a 125 to win in 2025, Sheets improved his score to a personal-best 119 this year. Archer Sindelar from Raymond, Nebraska, also repeated as the 6U bronze medalist.
Held at its new home, Midwest Pickleball Club in Papillion, the Cornhusker State Games pickleball tournament welcomed a record 474 participants July 9–12. Competitors played across 47 divisions during the four-day event.
Fencing also had a new record of 94 participants in 30 divisions.
Youth Golf took place July 9 at Hidden Valley Golf Course in Lincoln. The tournament featured six divisions in the 9-hole stroke-play competition and five divisions in 18-hole stoke-play. Participation increased by more than 160 golfers compared with 2025. The 2026 Youth Golf tournament was also held in partnership with the Nebraska Junior Golf Tour.
One of the highlights of the Cornhusker State Games Bowling tournament came Saturday evening when Ethan Biggerstaff of Lincoln rolled a perfect game in the Men’s 170 & Over division. Despite the achievement, Owen Strazdas took home the gold, followed by Nollan Milne in second and David Ladoucer in third. The two-day tournament featured more than 200 bowlers competing across 20 divisions.
Armwrestling came full circle this year with Mary McConnaughey, a Peru, Nebraska, native, whose career spans more than 43 years and includes 37 national titles and five world championships. McConnaughey helped bring armwrestling to the Cornhusker State Games 32 years ago. Despite her decorated career, this tournament marked just her second appearance at the State Games since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, making her return a memorable highlight of the competition.
The second and final weekend of the Games features competition in 41 sports, beginning Tuesday with Tennis and extending into Sunday. Several events remain open for registration at CornhuskerStateGames.com. Complete results, and the composite schedule of events for the final weekend, can be found at the same site under the Sports Info tab.
The Cornhusker State Games is conducted by the Nebraska Sports Council. Platinum partners include Grand Island Tourism, Pepsi-Cola of Lincoln, Nebraska Orthopaedic Center and FMNE Insurance. Learn more at NebraskaSportsCouncil.com.