June 7, 2011
TEMPE- Four members of the Arizona State men's golf team were named to the 2011 Pac-10 All-Academic team, league Commissioner Larry Scott announced. Senior Thomas Buran took first-team honors, while seniors James Byrne and Jesper Kennegard and junior Philip Francis earned honorable mention.
To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter or significant contributor. ASU's four selections to the Pac-10 All-Academic team are tied for the most in the conference with Arizona, Stanford and UCLA.
Buran graduated Cum Laude with a 3.57 grade-point average in the spring of 2011 with his B.A. in Business Communication. He competed in 11 events in the 2010-11 season and had a 73.59 stroke average. He posted a career-best second-place finish at The Prestige at PGA West with a 6-under par 210 and shot a career-low 68 in rounds one and two of the event. Buran also took eighth at the Topy Cup at 3-under par 213. This is his first selection to the all-academic team.
Byrne participated in nine events in the 2010-11 season and his best finish came at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational, where he tied for ninth with a 1-under par 212. This is the third selection to the Pac-10 All-Academic team as he was a member of the second team in 2009 and an honorable mention recipient in 2010.
Kennegard played in 12 tournaments in the 2010-11 season and placed in the top-20 on four occasions. He tied for sixth at the Amer Ari Invitational at 10-under par 206 and tied for ninth at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters. A three-time All-American, this is the third selection to the Pac-10 All-Academic team for Kennegard, who was named to the second team in both 2009 and 2010.
Francis competed in 12 events in the 2010-11 season and recorded a trio of top-10 finishes. Although he posted a sizzling 6-under par 210 to take sixth at the Topy Cup, his 16th-place finish at the NCAA Regionals in Colorado to help propel the Sun Devils into the NCAA Championships may have been his most impressive event of the year. This is his first selection to the all-academic team.
SUN DEVIL MEN'S GOLF FIRST-TEAM PAC-10 ALL-ACADEMIC SELECTIONS UNDER Randy Lein:
2011: Thomas Buran
2010: Knut Borsheim
2009: Knut Borsheim
2008: Knut Borsheim
2007: Fredrik Andersson
2006: Alejandro Canizares
2005: Alejandro Canizares
2004: Alejandro Canizares, Brett Johnson
2003: Brett Johnson, Nick Manthey
2002: Nick Manthey
2001: Jeff Quinney, Ryan Whitaker
2000: Jeff Quinney
1999: Greg Padilla, Jeff Quinney
1997: Chris Hanell, Scott Johnson
1996: Chris Hanell
1995: Todd Demsey, Chris Hanell
1994: Todd Demsey
1993: Todd Demsey