Armen Kirakossian Now Men's Golf Associate Head Coach

Sun Devil head men's golf coach Matt Thurmond knows how to hire good assistant coaches, as he currently has four former assistant coaches serving as Division I head coaches.

At some point, another will join that list, but in the meantime, Armen Kirakossian is now the Sun Devil Associate Head Coach. Kirakossian joined Thurmond's staff as assistant coach on August 1, 2017, and has helped lead ASU to seven team wins.

I am so excited to receive this promotion! What an honor. Huge thank you to @sundevilathletics and @mattthurmond for all their support and belief in me. I love being a part of this program and I will strive everyday to help grow @sundevilmgolf. Go Devils!!! https://t.co/1tIdooeSun

— Armen Kirakossian (@Akirakossian) September 11, 2019

"Armen is really a tremendous coach. He can do anything and he can do it all well," notes Thurmond, who watched Kirakossian earn the Strickland Award last year given to the nation's top assistant coach. "His capacity and effort allow me to do more because there just isn't anything I can't fully trust him with.  He's awesome with the guys coaching, he recruits really well and he knows how to run all facets of our program."
 

So far it has been solid season ... 4 team Ws ... 6 individual titles ... defended Thunderbird Collegiate crown ... it just got better with this guy being named the nation's top assistant. @ASU @asunews
THUMBS UP EMOJI FOR @Akirakossian
READ ABOUT IT HERE: https://t.co/JiFB8yg8fd pic.twitter.com/ax7wmDC5MD

— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 7, 2019

ASU's 2018-19 season included four team wins, six individual wins, a PING First-Team All-American (Chun An Yu) and six second-place finishes. Cameron Sisk earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, while Thurmond earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year. The Sun Devils won three straight tournaments with a different Sun Devil winning each event in March and April. They won the Thunderbird Collegiate at Papago Golf Course on April 12-13 with a 20-under 832, shot 50-under on March 18-19 to win the National Invitational in Tucson, won the San Diego Lamkin Grips Classic on March 11-12 (10-under 854 and the John Burns Intercollegiate on Feb. 21-13 shooting a 24-under 840.
 

This guy is an awesome coach and person and we are so fortunate to have him in our program. https://t.co/T8V6krhFwl

— Matt Thurmond (@MattThurmond) September 11, 2019

ASU TEAM WINS IN COACH KIRAKOSSIAN'S TENURE
2018-19 (4)
ASU Thunderbird Collegiate/April 12-13, 2019
National Invitational/Mar. 18-19, 2019
Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic/Mar. 11-12, 2019
John Burns Intercollegiate/Feb. 21-23, 2019

2017-18 (3)
ASU Thunderbird Invitational/April 14-15, 2018
Bandon Dunes Intercollegiate/March 11-13, 2018
Maui Jim Intercollegiate/September 22-24, 2017
   

You can add @GolfCoachesAssn First-Team All-American to @kevingolfyu resume as he packs his bags for a fun summer that includes the @ArnoldPalmerCup! https://t.co/PVqNYm97HL @AZGOLFassoc @Pac12Network @PapagoGolf @GrayhawkGolf pic.twitter.com/Qzo75Hs9vo

— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 28, 2019

"We were thrilled to have him join us in the summer of 2017. He had proven to be an outstanding coach, recruiter, and leader," added Thurmond. "We have a lot of things happening here right now and needed 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 joined ASU from Pepperdine where he served as assistant coach for 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.
 
"My family and I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of the Sun Devil family," said Kirakossian. This is an exciting time for the program with NCAA Championships coming to town and the new facilities at Papago. The program has a great history and I enjoy being a part of that while helping build the future."

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

 
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, earned his degree in business administration from UTPA in 2010, is part of the Sun Devil family in Tempe with his wife, Maria, and daughter Abigail.