Honors & Awards
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2018; 2020; Spring 2020, 2021, 2022)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
- Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award (2022)
- Minnesota Mr. Golf (2018)
- Minnesota Class AAA Individual Champion (2018)
- Metro Boys Golfer of the Year (2018)
- Minnesota Class AAA Team Champion (Wayzata, 2017)
- Two-Time Minnesota All-State (2017, 2018)
- Minnesota Golf Association Team Championship at Fox Hollow GC Champion (2018)
Senior (2021-22)
A fourth-year Husker, Tristan Nelko contributed to Nebraska's lineup in a pair of fall tournaments in 2021. He earned his first lineup appearance at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque (Sept. 24-25), tying for 51st individually with a 225 (76-76-73) on the UNM Championship Course.
Nelko returned to the lineup at the Rich Harvest Farms Invitational in Sugar Grove, Ill. (Oct. 2-4) and finished with a career-best three-round total of 220 that included a career-best 71 (-1) in the second round on the 7,200-yard layout at Rich Harvest Farms. He tied for 49th individually in a strong field.
Nelko closed the 2021-22 season with a solid 74.17 stroke average through six rounds in the Husker lineup.
A solid performer on the course, in the classroom and in the community, Nelko is a four-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection and a three-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.
Junior (2020-21)
Nelko competed as an individual outside Nebraska’s lineup at the Git-R-Done Husker Invitational (April 17-18). He tied for 51st individually with a three-round score of 233 (77-77-79) on the par-71, 7,040-yard layout at the Firethorn Golf Club.
Sophomore (2019-20)
Nelko competed in one tournament for the Huskers in 2019-20, posting a 236 over three rounds at the Rod Myers/Duke Invitational to tie for 66th.
Freshman (2018-19)
Nelko made the starting lineup in each of the Huskers’ first two tournaments in the fall of 2018. He shot a 235 (+19) at the Rod Myers/Duke Invitational and fired a 233 (+20) over three rounds in the Cardinal Regional Challenge. He shot a season-best 72 (+1) in the first round of the Cardinal Regional Challenge.
Nelko’s best outing of the fall came in the team’s final tournament of 2018, the Quail Valley Intercollegiate. Nelko fired back-to-back rounds of 74 (+2) and finished with a 77 (+5) in the final round to close with a season-best 225 (+9). He tied for 62nd, which was a season best.
In his only appearance of the spring, Nelko fired a 152 (+10) over 36 holes at the Git-R-Done Husker Invitational (April 13). He finished his freshman year with a 76.82 stroke average.
Before Nebraska
Nelko entered the Husker program hot off the heels of a stellar season in which he came in first place at nine of 10 high school golf tournaments as a senior. Playing in Minnesota’s largest high school class division of AAA, Nelko captured the individual state championship by tying the state record with a two-round total of 139. His performance during the season also earned him the title of Minnesota Mr. Golf, and he was the Metro Boys Golfer of the Year. He carried a 69.5 stroke average as a senior in 2018.
Nelko was the medalist at a plethora of other events including the State Preview at Edinburgh USA Golf Club, Champions Invitational at Windsong Farm Golf Club, Detroit Lakes Invitational, Wayzata vs. Eden Prairie and Minnetonka at Olympic Hills Golf Club, MGA Junior Team Championship, and the Chaska Invitational.
Nelko added a runner-up finish at FCWT Whistling Straits in Wisconsin and tied for second at the Minnesota State Amateur Qualifier.
He helped lead his Wayzata High School team to a Minnesota Class AAA state championship as a junior in 2017, when he claimed the first of two all-state honors.
Personal
The son of Trevor and Rachelle Nelko, Tristan was born Nov. 13, 1999. He has a younger brother, Dylan. A marketing major, Tristan earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in August of 2022. He was a five-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection and a four-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022).
Year-by-Year
| Year | Rounds | Strokes | Average |
| 2018-19 | 11 | 845 | 76.82 |
| 2019-20 | 3 | 236 | 78.67 |
| 2020-21 | 3 | 233 | 77.67 |
| 2021-22 | 6 | 445 | 74.17 |
| Career Totals | 23 | 1,759 | 76.48 |
Career Bests
Low Round - 71 (Rich Harvest Farms, 10/3/21)
Low 54-Hole Score - 220 (Rich Harvest Farms, 10/4/21)
Best Tournament Finish - T18th (Git-R-Done, 4/13/19)
Rounds Under Par - 1