Cameron Sisk (Freshman of Year) and Coach Thurmond Earn Top Pac-12 Men's Golf Honors

The Sun Devil men's golf team, ranked second by Golfstat and third by Golfweek and a four-time tournament winner this season, had several recipients as the Pac-12 announced its annual awards for the 2018-19 season. Cameron Sisk (Freshman of the Year) and Matt Thurmond (Coach of the Year) earned top honors, with four other underclassmen also collecting hardware.

Earning first-team honors are junior Chun An Yu (Taoyuan, Taiwan) and sophomore management major Mason Andersen (Chandler, Ariz.)., while junior interdisciplinary majors Alex del Rey (Madrid, Spain) and Blake Wagoner (Cornelius, N.C.) earned second-team honors. 

We have a few things to tweet here so hang tight as the @pac12 award came out ... first off ... big time shout out to Cameron Sisk becoming third Sparky to win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, joining @Acanizares10 (2003 NCAA champion) and @JonRahmpga ... pic.twitter.com/vnD6D9hKVQ

— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 1, 2019

Sisk, from San Diego, Calif., is the third Sun Devil to earn the award joining Alejandro Canizares (2003) and Jon Rahm (2013) as he has posted six top-20 finishes, including a victory at the Sonoran Showdown (-13). He also nabbed a tie for fifth in a field of 80 at the Arizona Intercollegiate (-9). The business major has a 3.65 grade point average out of the starting blocks, and his stroke average is currently the best by any Sun Devil freshman, with some pretty good golfers on the list dating to 1985.

SUN DEVIL FRESHMAN SCORING AVERAGES (1985-2019)
Cameron Sisk, 11, 2018-19, 71.15
Jon Rahm, 15, 2012-13, 71.37
Chun An Yu, 9, 2016-17, 71.61
Alejandro Canizares, 8, 2002-03, 71.65
Mason Andersen, 13, 2017-18, 71.95
Todd Demsey, 15, 1991-92, 72.10
Alex del Rey, 12, 2016-17, 72.14
Phil Mickelson, 14, 1988-89, 72.14
Jesper Kennegard, 12, 2007-08, 72.16
Chan Kim, 8, 2008-09, 72.20

CAMERON SISK 2018-19 ROUND-BY-ROUND
Maui Jim Invitational (Sept. 21-23, 2018) 65-68-70=203/-7/T-12 (78)
Marquette Intercollegiate (Sept. 30- Oct. 2, 2018) 76-73-73=222/+6/T-30 (72)
Alister Mackenzie Invitational (Oct. 8-9, 2018) 68-71-66=205/-8/T-7 (80)
Tavistock Invitational (Oct. 21-23, 2018) 75-72-80=227/+11/T-63 (75)
Arizona Intercollegiate (Jan. 28-29, 2019) 72-65-67=204/-9/T-5 (80)
John Burns Intercollegiate (Feb. 21-23, 2019) 72-73-67=212/-4/T-16 (114)
Querencia Cabo Collegiate (Mar. 3-5, 2019) 75-72-74=221/+8/T-36 (71)
Lamkin Grips SD Classic (Mar. 11-12, 2019) 75-76-74=225/+9/T-50 (91)
Sonoran Showdown (Mar. 18-19, 2019) 66-65-66=197/-13/1st (21)
ASU Thunderbird Collegiate (Apr. 12-13, 2019) 69-71-73=213/E/T-18 (80)
Pac-12 Championship (April 22-24, 2019) 74-74-72-70=290/+6/T-23 (72)
11 EVENTS/34 ROUNDS/2,419 STROKES/71.15 STROKE AVERAGE
 

Next up #ForksUp to four dudes who earned All-Pac-12 honors@kevingolfyu (first team)@cityofchandler own Mason Andersen (first team)@a_delrey99 (second team)@blakewagoner7 (second team)
Don't believe us read it here! https://t.co/SAbIVjTnEE pic.twitter.com/JCIYkk5eou

— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 1, 2019

Thurmond earned his third Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor but first at ASU. Tabbed Coach of the Year while at Washington in 2005 and 2009, he becomes the fifth Sun Devil coach to earn the honor. He has led the Sun Devils to at least a second-place finish in nine of 11 events, including wins in four of the last five tournaments (John Burns Collegiate, Lamkin Grips Collegiate, National Invitational Tournament, ASU Thunderbird Collegiate). The Sun Devils reached No. 2 this season and enter the postseason currently ranked No. 3 by Golfweek. Under Thurmond's guidance, a pair of Sun Devils earned first team all-conference honors, another pair landed on second team all-conference and Sisk claimed Freshman of the Year. He is the sixth head coach hired by Ray Anderson to earn Pac-12 Coach of the Year. 

SUN DEVIL PAC-12 COACHES OF THE YEAR HIRED BY RAY ANDERSON
2018-19: Matt Thurmond (men's golf)
2017-18: Zeke Jones (wrestling), Jay Santos (gymnastics), Trisha Ford (softball)
2016-17: Missy Farr-Kaye (women's golf), Bob Bowman (swimming)

SUN DEVILS WHO EARNED PAC-12 MEN'S GOLF COACH OF THE YEAR
Matt Thurmond (2019)
Tim Mickelson (2015)
Randy Lein (2000, 1999*, 1995, 1996, 1993)
Steve Loy (1990, 1989)
George Boutell (1981, 1979)

He won Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2009, but now he has done it as a Sun Devil, so we like this better. Four tournament wins this year, a bunch of individual winners, yadda, yadda, yadda ... congrats to @MattThurmond on @pac12 Coach of the Year! https://t.co/SAbIVjTnEE pic.twitter.com/kpRkQyQ2DQ

— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 1, 2019

Chun An Yu and Andersen will join Kaito Onishi as returning All-Pac-12 first-team picks in 2019-20, while Wagoner and Alex del Rey are joined only by junior David Snyder and sophomore Trevor Werbylo as next-year players on the second-team. Of the 16 players to earn first- or second-team honorees, seven are expected to return next year including the four Sun Devils.

HITTING THE BOOKS (ACTUALLY THE IPAD): The men's golf team is getting it done in the classroom as well, as Mason Andersen (3.17), Alex del Rey (3.21), Cameron Sisk (3.65) and Blake Wagoner (3.61) will enter NCAA postseason play with report cards.

CRAZY STAT: Six Sun Devils won earned or shared medalist honors this year. Jino Sohn and James Leow tied for first at the 37-player 2019 Arizona Intercollegiate individual tournament (Jan. 28-29). Alex del Rey won the 84-player National Invitational March 18-19 and freshman Cameron Sisk earned the Sonoran Showdown 20-player event, with both events taking place in Tucson. Sophomore Mason Andersen won a playoff to claim the 91-player field at San Diego's Lamkin Grips Classic on March 11-12, and then Chun An Yu put his name in the 2019 winner's column April 12-13 at ASU's Thunderbird Collegiate.