TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University head men's golf coach Matt Thurmond today announced the appointment of Armen Kirakossian as assistant coach.
"We are thrilled to have Armen join us," Thurmond said. "He has proven to be an outstanding coach, recruiter, and leader. We have a lot of things happening here right now and need someone with a very broad skill set and relentless work ethic to help us maximize all the exciting opportunities with our team, recruits, facility and events."
Kirakossian will be joining ASU from Pepperdine where he served as assistant coach the last two years. During his tenure, he helped the Waves to their best finish at the NCAA Championships (13th) and their best end-of-season ranking (20th) since 2004.
"I want to thank Coach Thurmond and ASU for giving me this opportunity," Kirakossian said. "My family and I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of the Sun Devil family. This is an exciting time for the program with NCAAs coming to town in the next few years and the new facilities being built at Papago. The program has a great history and I am looking forward to being a part of that while helping build the future."
Prior to his stint at Pepperdine Kirakossian was the head coach at his alma mater, Texas Pan American (UTPA), where he led the Broncos to three top-five finishes in 2014-15. One of his golfers won the Western Athletic Conference's individual crown and advanced to an NCAA Regional, becoming the school's first student-athlete to participate in the NCAAs since 1978.
Kirakossian, who was a volunteer assistant in 2012-13 before being hired in August 2014, was one of the best golfers in UTPA history from 2006-10. He won the Great West Conference's individual title as a junior, leading to all-conference first-team honors. He also collected All-America Sky Conference first team acclaim as a senior and was the medalist at the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championships that season. He shot a program-record 204 (67-66-71) in winning the event.
Off the course, Kirakossian was also a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholar in 2009.
Kirakossian competed professionally on the Golden State Tour, PGA Tour Latino American, PGA Tour China and PGA Mexico Tour, and also took part in Nationwide Tour qualifying.
Kirakossian, who earned his degree in business administration from UTPA in 2010, will be joined in Tempe by his wife, Maria.
"We are thrilled to have Armen join us," Thurmond said. "He has proven to be an outstanding coach, recruiter, and leader. We have a lot of things happening here right now and need someone with a very broad skill set and relentless work ethic to help us maximize all the exciting opportunities with our team, recruits, facility and events."
Kirakossian will be joining ASU from Pepperdine where he served as assistant coach the last two years. During his tenure, he helped the Waves to their best finish at the NCAA Championships (13th) and their best end-of-season ranking (20th) since 2004.
"I want to thank Coach Thurmond and ASU for giving me this opportunity," Kirakossian said. "My family and I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of the Sun Devil family. This is an exciting time for the program with NCAAs coming to town in the next few years and the new facilities being built at Papago. The program has a great history and I am looking forward to being a part of that while helping build the future."
Prior to his stint at Pepperdine Kirakossian was the head coach at his alma mater, Texas Pan American (UTPA), where he led the Broncos to three top-five finishes in 2014-15. One of his golfers won the Western Athletic Conference's individual crown and advanced to an NCAA Regional, becoming the school's first student-athlete to participate in the NCAAs since 1978.
Kirakossian, who was a volunteer assistant in 2012-13 before being hired in August 2014, was one of the best golfers in UTPA history from 2006-10. He won the Great West Conference's individual title as a junior, leading to all-conference first-team honors. He also collected All-America Sky Conference first team acclaim as a senior and was the medalist at the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championships that season. He shot a program-record 204 (67-66-71) in winning the event.
Off the course, Kirakossian was also a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholar in 2009.
Kirakossian competed professionally on the Golden State Tour, PGA Tour Latino American, PGA Tour China and PGA Mexico Tour, and also took part in Nationwide Tour qualifying.
Kirakossian, who earned his degree in business administration from UTPA in 2010, will be joined in Tempe by his wife, Maria.