Sun Devil Men's Golf has five golfers on the Pac-12 All-Conference teams, headlined by Freshman of the Year Michael Mjaaseth, announced by the league office Thursday morning.
2023 Thunderbird Collegiate winner Preston Summerhays and Josele Ballester joined Mjaaseth on the Pac-12 First Team. Freshman Luke Potter and senior Ryggs Johnston each received Pac-12 Second Team honors.
It's the first time since the Pac-10/12 began awarding end-of-season honors in 1985 that ASU has five players earn All-Conference recognitions in consecutive years. It's just the second time the Sun Devils have earned five Pac-12 All-Conference honors since 1994.
Mjaaseth was a steady force in the Sun Devil lineup this season, with a 70.9 scoring average over 32 rounds. He took the win at the Maui Jim Individual on Sept. 9-10, 2022, after missing ASU's qualifying while he was securing a ninth-place finish at the World Amateur Championship in Paris, France.
"Michael has been such a solid and steady competitor for us this year," said Head Coach Matt Thurmond. "We had the toughest regular season schedule in college golf and he never finished worse than 31st. We counted almost all of his scores and, frankly, never really had to worry about him at all. He's had an amazing year."
He's the sixth Sun Devil to win the award since its inception in 1999 and the fourth consecutive ASU men's golfer to achieve the honor. No school in the conference has ever had consecutive winners of the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honor before the Sun Devils' current run of four straight from 2019-23.
PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR / NEWCOMER AWARD WINNERS SINCE 2019
2023: Michael Mjaaseth
2022: Preston Summerhays
2021: David Puig
2020: No honors due to COVID-19
2019: Cameron Sisk
'Having our guys win the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year Award four years in a row is a tribute to the environment our veterans create where freshmen can come in, be comfortable, and thrive from the day they arrive," added Thurmond.
The No. 4/4 ranked Sun Devils were the only team with at least five golfers to receive All-Conference honors. No other squad had more than three. Additionally, 22 players have received All-Conference honors under Thurmond since his first season in 2017.
"The great thing about this team is that the 1-5 guys are all close in talent and ability," said Associate Head Coach Thomas Sutton. "Every guy has contributed in key moments for the team and if you took any of them out, our team would suffer. Not often in life do you have a group or team where all of the members are vital to the success of the team, and it's been awesome to be a part of this year."
Summerhays and Ballester received Pac-12 First Team honors for the second straight season following sensational sophomore campaigns headlined by low scores and consistency.
Summerhays, who had a team-best scoring average of 70.12 across 32 rounds, had nine top-10 finishes and 19 rounds under par this season.
The Scottsdale native etched his name among Sun Devil greats such as Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson with a win at the 2023 Thunderbird Collegiate in a thrilling final round that saw him birdie three of the final four holes. He needed a birdie on 18 to secure the individual and team triumph.
Ryggs Johnston earned Pac-12 All-Conference honors for the third time in his career. Luke Potter became the third ASU freshman in the last two years to receive All-Conference honors.
Johnston, one of two seniors on the team, has 16 rounds under par-or-better this season. He recorded back-to-back top-five finishes at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate and the Fighting Illini Invite in September.
Potter has four top-10 finishes and 18 of his 29 rounds this season were under-par. He had four consecutive under-par finishes at the East Lake Cup, Southwestern Invitational, Cabo Collegiate and NIT. The model of consistency began after Potter lost the first ball of his college career at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
"Four of the five guys in the National Championship against Texas last year are no longer with us, so we have a whole new cast of characters this year," Thurmond said in an interview on the Golf Channel for ASU's regional location announcement. "A lot of them will be going into Regionals for the first time and we're excited to get started."
Next up for the Sun Devils men's golf team is the NCAA Las Vegas Regional where it earned the No. 1 seed at Bear's Best Las Vegas.
2023 Thunderbird Collegiate winner Preston Summerhays and Josele Ballester joined Mjaaseth on the Pac-12 First Team. Freshman Luke Potter and senior Ryggs Johnston each received Pac-12 Second Team honors.
It's the first time since the Pac-10/12 began awarding end-of-season honors in 1985 that ASU has five players earn All-Conference recognitions in consecutive years. It's just the second time the Sun Devils have earned five Pac-12 All-Conference honors since 1994.
Mjaaseth was a steady force in the Sun Devil lineup this season, with a 70.9 scoring average over 32 rounds. He took the win at the Maui Jim Individual on Sept. 9-10, 2022, after missing ASU's qualifying while he was securing a ninth-place finish at the World Amateur Championship in Paris, France.
"Michael has been such a solid and steady competitor for us this year," said Head Coach Matt Thurmond. "We had the toughest regular season schedule in college golf and he never finished worse than 31st. We counted almost all of his scores and, frankly, never really had to worry about him at all. He's had an amazing year."
He's the sixth Sun Devil to win the award since its inception in 1999 and the fourth consecutive ASU men's golfer to achieve the honor. No school in the conference has ever had consecutive winners of the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honor before the Sun Devils' current run of four straight from 2019-23.
PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR / NEWCOMER AWARD WINNERS SINCE 2019
2023: Michael Mjaaseth
2022: Preston Summerhays
2021: David Puig
2020: No honors due to COVID-19
2019: Cameron Sisk
'Having our guys win the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year Award four years in a row is a tribute to the environment our veterans create where freshmen can come in, be comfortable, and thrive from the day they arrive," added Thurmond.
The No. 4/4 ranked Sun Devils were the only team with at least five golfers to receive All-Conference honors. No other squad had more than three. Additionally, 22 players have received All-Conference honors under Thurmond since his first season in 2017.
"The great thing about this team is that the 1-5 guys are all close in talent and ability," said Associate Head Coach Thomas Sutton. "Every guy has contributed in key moments for the team and if you took any of them out, our team would suffer. Not often in life do you have a group or team where all of the members are vital to the success of the team, and it's been awesome to be a part of this year."
Summerhays and Ballester received Pac-12 First Team honors for the second straight season following sensational sophomore campaigns headlined by low scores and consistency.
Summerhays, who had a team-best scoring average of 70.12 across 32 rounds, had nine top-10 finishes and 19 rounds under par this season.
The Scottsdale native etched his name among Sun Devil greats such as Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson with a win at the 2023 Thunderbird Collegiate in a thrilling final round that saw him birdie three of the final four holes. He needed a birdie on 18 to secure the individual and team triumph.
Ballester, whose scoring average of 70.84 was second-best on the team, fired a 64 in three different rounds this season. He had four top-15 finishes, including three straight in April events.Rahm. Mickelson. Summerhays.
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) April 15, 2023
Preston Summerhays ??? joins a list of Sun Devil legends as champion of the Thunderbird Collegiate. The Sun Devils have also won the team trophy.#ForksUp /// ?????? pic.twitter.com/JL4iz35oGa
Ryggs Johnston earned Pac-12 All-Conference honors for the third time in his career. Luke Potter became the third ASU freshman in the last two years to receive All-Conference honors.
Johnston, one of two seniors on the team, has 16 rounds under par-or-better this season. He recorded back-to-back top-five finishes at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate and the Fighting Illini Invite in September.
Potter has four top-10 finishes and 18 of his 29 rounds this season were under-par. He had four consecutive under-par finishes at the East Lake Cup, Southwestern Invitational, Cabo Collegiate and NIT. The model of consistency began after Potter lost the first ball of his college career at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
"Four of the five guys in the National Championship against Texas last year are no longer with us, so we have a whole new cast of characters this year," Thurmond said in an interview on the Golf Channel for ASU's regional location announcement. "A lot of them will be going into Regionals for the first time and we're excited to get started."
Next up for the Sun Devils men's golf team is the NCAA Las Vegas Regional where it earned the No. 1 seed at Bear's Best Las Vegas.
Leader in the classroom and on the course ?????
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) April 27, 2023
Congratulations to Ryggs Johnston ??, our @pac12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year!#ForksUp /// ?????? pic.twitter.com/m3NX6P5RZD
Leader in the classroom and on the course ?????
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) April 27, 2023
Congratulations to Ryggs Johnston ??, our @pac12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year!#ForksUp /// ?????? pic.twitter.com/m3NX6P5RZD