MONROE, La. – Three ULM men's golfers – freshman
Max Catherine (second team), sophomore
Guillaume Fanonnel (third team) and
Joao Girao (third team) have earned All-Sun Belt honors, as selected by the league's head coaches. In addition, Catherine has been named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.
Catherine led the team in scoring average (73.36) and birdies (108) and ranked fourth in pars per round (10.67). He has placed among the Top 25 in six of 11 tournaments, including three Top-20 finishes. His top performance came in the 2018 Sun Belt Championships where he tied for ninth at 2-over-par 215 (74-71-70). Catherine scored 72 or lower in 17 of 33 rounds. The Luynes, France, native recorded a hole-in-one in the second round on his collegiate debut at the Golfweek Conference Challenge.
Fanonnel ranked second on the team in scoring average (73.50), third in pars per round (10.96) and fourth in birdies (71). He placed in the Top 20 in three of eight tournaments, finishing tied for 16th in the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, tied for 17th in Sun Belt Championships and tied for 18th in the USTA/Lone Star Invitational. His 68 in the third round of the Sun Belt Championships matched his low score of the season. A native of Lyon, France, Fanonnel posted 72 or lower in 10 of 24 rounds.
Girao placed in the Top 25 in six of 10 tournaments played in 2017-18, including four Top 20 finishes. His best performance came in the 2018 Sun Belt Championships where he tied for sixth at 1-over-par 214 (70-69-75). Girao ranked second on the team in pars per round (10.97) and birdies (87) and third in scoring average (73.83). The Lisbon, Portugal, native scored 72 or lower in 12 of 30 rounds.
"I'm happy for Max, Joao and G," ULM head coach
Tim Baldwin said. "The honors are well deserved. It's also good to see Max being named Freshman of the Year. He was very consistent with 17 of 33 rounds at par or better.
"ULM is one of five teams with three players named all-conference. The core of our team is back next year.
"Our prospects continue to look good for the future as we add more depth to our lineup, upgrade our tournament schedule and set our sights on NCAA postseason play in 2018-19."
