April 29, 2008

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Head Coach Sam Puryear

EAST LANSING, Mich. - First-year Michigan State head coach Sam Puryear was named the Big Ten Conference's Men's Golf Coach of the Year, it was announced today by the conference office. Also gaining recognition today by the league was senior Ryan Brehm, junior Randy Hutchison and sophomore Jack Newman. Brehm and Hutchison were named to the All-Big Ten First Team, while Newman garnered second-team recognition. Brehm also was named Michigan State's sportsmanship nominee.

"I am really excited about the recognition, but I am more excited for my guys," said Puryear. "Randy, Jack and Ryan have all worked extremely hard and they deserve it. The entire 12 man roster deserves the credit. The other members of the team really pushed these three to make them play better. I am excited for the MSU family."

Puryear arrived at Michigan State this summer after two seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford University, where he helped the Cardinal to the 2007 NCAA Championship. Puryear, the first black head coach in major Division I men's golf, is the third MSU mentor to win the award, following Mark Hankins, who gained the honor in 2005 and 2007.

Brehm earns his fourth All-Big Ten honor, having been on the first team as a sophomore and on the second team as a freshman and junior. The Mount Pleasant, Mich., native had his most successful season in green and white, winning four tournaments, which set a new program single-season record, and currently holding a season stroke average of 72.50, which is the second lowest in MSU single-season history. With his second-place finish at this past weekend's Big Ten Championship, Brehm has placed second on three occasions and has tied for fourth in his four conference championships. Brehm was named to the All-Championship team for his efforts. In addition to his four wins, Brehm, who is ranked No. 26 in the nation by Golfweek/Sagarin, now has seven top-four finishes in his 11 events this season. For his career, he now has five individual titles and a scoring average of 73.10, both program records.

Both Hutchison and Newman garnered conference recognition for the first time in their respective careers.

Hutchison, a Traverse City, Mich., native, has a career-low scoring average of 74.39 so far this season, which is third on the team and improves his career mark to 75.10, which is ninth best in MSU history. At the Mizzou Tiger Intercollegiate, Hutchison posted a career-best finish and score, by placing second with a three-round 215. Hutchison is second on the squad with six top-20 finishes in his nine tournaments this season.

Newman also improved his play in his second season with the Spartans. The Des Moines, Iowa, native is second on the team with a 74.32 stroke average and is one of two on the team to compete in all 11 events, along with Brehm. Newman posted his second career victory by winning the Western Intercollegiate at the end of March, earning him Big Ten Player of the Week accolades. The sophomore also has three top-five finishes this season, most recently a tie for fifth at the Big Ten Championships, earning him All-Championship team honors. For his career, Newman is fifth in the Spartans all-time stroke average list at 74.85.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the Big Ten Conference for this award," said Newman. "This is just a building block for me, and hopefully I can move up to another level next year. Congratulations to Ryan and Randy for first-team honors. I'm glad Ryan ends his Big Ten career with another team victory and with first-team honors. He put in his time and got what was deserved."

It is just the second time in MSU history that three Spartans were honored on the All-Big Ten teams and just the fifth time in the 40-year history of the awards that two Spartans were on the first team. Michigan State has had a student-athlete on the first team in each of the last four seasons and six of the last seven.

Joining Brehm and Hutchison on the first team were Big Ten Player of the Year Jorge Campillo, Michigan's Tim Schaetzel, and the Minnesota pair of Victor Almstrom and Clatyon Rask. On the second team with Newman were Indiana's Seth Brandon, the Ohio State duo of Bo Coconis and Bo Hoag, Penn State's Robert Rohanna and Wisconsin's Dan Woltman. In addition, Illinois' Scott Langley was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

The Spartans won their third Big Ten Championship in the last four seasons this weekend and automatically qualify for the NCAA Regionals on May 15-17. Teams and locations will be announced on Monday, May 5 at 6 p.m. Michigan State, ranked No. 19 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin ranking, now has won two tournaments this season and has eight top-five finishes in its 11 events, including five in a row.