Tag: Arizona State Sun Devils

Arizona State’s Josele Ballester, 2024 U.S. Amateur champion, gets first collegiate win at Olympia Fields

Ballester tied the 54-hole record at the event.

Josele Ballester picked a good place to pick up his first collegiate victory.

The senior at Arizona State made pars on his final two holes Sunday morning to hold on and win the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational, one of the top events of the season, at Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois.

Because of Sunday’s weather forecast, the teams played 36 holes on Saturday in an attempt to finish the tournament. However, Ballester’s group had two holes remaining before play was suspended due to darkness on Saturday, so he and a few others returned early Sunday to finish in the rain.

Ballester, the 2024 U.S. Amateur champion, finished at 10 under for the week, tying the 54-hole record at the event. He topped Georgia Tech’s Benjamin Reuter by one shot for the individual title.

Reuter and the Yellow Jackets aren’t going home empty handed, though. Georgia Tech captured the team title for its first win since 2023, beating ASU by a shot, with Reuter placing runner-up, 2024 NCAA individual champion Hiroshi Tai T-6 and Carson Kim and Kale Fontenot finishing T-28.

Oklahoma State and North Carolina tied for third at 1 under, 11 shots behind Georgia Tech.

Florida State junior Luke Clanton made his collegiate debut this weekend, shooting 3 under to tie for sixth.

2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Polls: Auburn Tigers are still No. 1

The defending national champions received eight first-place votes.

Despite their tournament winning streak of seven – the second-longest streak in NCAA Division I history – ended after finishing second at the Inverness Intercollegiate, Auburn maintains its position at No. 1 in the Bushnell/Golfweek Div. I Coaches Poll for Sept. 20, 2024.

The defending national champion Tigers received eight first-place votes and 410 points overall.

Arizona State (four first-place votes), Virginia (three first-place votes), Vanderbilt and Illinois rounded out the top five. Tennessee, Alabama (two first-place votes), Oklahoma, Florida and Florida State completed the top 10.

New to the poll this time around: No. 15 LSU, No. 24 Utah and No. 25 Pepperdine. Dropping out: Washington, Ohio State and UCLA.

2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll – Sept. 20, 2024

Rank University Points Previous
1 Auburn (8) 410 1
2 Arizona State (4) 400 2
3 Virginia (3) 379 6
4 Vanderbilt 336 4
5 Illinois 294 9
6 Tennessee 290 7
7 Alabama (2) 278 16
8 Oklahoma 267 12
9 Florida 266 10
10 Florida State 255 3
11 Texas 253 8
12 Ole Miss 238 13
13 Arizona 207 14
14 Texas Tech 192 15
15 LSU 191 RV
16 North Carolina 166 5
17 Georgia Tech 160 11
18 Oklahoma State 131 20
19 Texas A&M 113 19
20 Duke 86 24
21 Georgia 78 21
22 Stanford 76 23
23 Arkansas 67 17
24 Utah 45 NR
25 Pepperdine 41 NR

Others receiving votes: UCLA (38), Washington (37), SMU (34), South Carolina (34), Purdue (31), Notre Dame (28), Ohio State (21), Oregon (17), Missouri (13), Wake Forest (9), Iowa State (8), Louisville (8), Michigan State (8), Arkansas State (7), USC (7), San Diego State (6), Lipscomb (5), Kansas (3), Troy (3), Santa Clara (2), South Florida (2), Colorado (1).

2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek Division II Coaches Poll – Sept. 20, 2024

Colorado Christian started its season with the largest margin of victory – 57 strokes – in a Div. II history at The Writz at Mile High. Thus the program has maintained its No. 1-ranking in the latest coaches poll. Also the defending national champions, the Cougars received 13 first-place votes and 372 points overall.

North Georgia, which got the remaining first-place votes, is No. 2, followed by West Florida, Oklahoma Christian and Georgia Southwestern.

Rank University Points Previous
1 Colorado Christian (13) 372 1
2 North Georgia (2) 359 2
3 West Florida 320 4
4 Oklahoma Christian 301 3
5 Georgia Southwestern 301 5
6 Lincoln Memorial 279 6
7 Florida Southern 241 8
8 Grand Valley State 240 7
9 Central Oklahoma 230 10
10 Lee 220 11
11 Nova Southeastern 219 9
12 USC Aiken 195 13
13 Saint Leo 177 12
14 Dallas Baptist 144 14
15 Henderson State 134 19
16 Barry 125 17
17 Coker 107 T-15
18 Lander 104 18
19 Columbus State 91 RV
20 West Texas A&M 87 T-15
21 Wingate 71 22
22 Colorado State Pueblo 68 20
23 Midwestern State 66 21
24 Barton 51 23
25 Palm Beach Atlantic 47 NR

Others receiving votes: Lynn (44), CSU Monterey Bay (38), Central Missouri (37), Colorado Mesa (34), Harding (33), Western New Mexico (19), Anderson (SC) (16), Indianapolis (13), Valdosta State (13), Colorado School of Mines (12), Belmont Abbey (10), Missouri S&T (10), Carson-Newman (9), Tampa (9), Flagler (8), Wayne State (MI) (7), Lenoir-Rhyne (6), Drury (5), Southern Arkansas (5), Ferris State (4), Newberry (4), Shorter (4), Rollins (3), UMSL (2), USCB (2), Charleston (1), Union (TN) (1).

2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches Poll – Sept. 20, 2024

Methodist was No. 1 in the Bushnell/Golfweek Div. III Coaches Poll in the preseason. The defending national champion Monarchs are still No. 1, after receiving eight first-place votes and 294 points overall. Carnegie Mellon got the other three first-place votes and is No. 2. The top nine remain unchanged from the preseason.

Rank University Points Previous
1 Methodist (8) 294 1
2 Carnegie Mellon (3) 288 2
3 Emory 278 3
4 Oglethorpe (1) 263 4
5 Illinois Wesleyan 240 5
6 Huntingdon 230 6
7 Washington & Lee 205 7
8 Lynchburg 198 8
9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 192 9
10 Sewanee 158 11
11 Redlands 147 10
12 Wittenberg 144 14
13 Kenyon 140 13
14 Saint John’s (MN) 126 12
15 Aurora 124 16
16 Bethel (MN) 99 15
17 LeTourneau 85 17
18 Guilford 79 20
19 Pomona-Pitzer 73 19
20 Hampden-Sydney 63 23
21 Babson 57 21
22 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 45 22
23 Franklin & Marshall 40 18
T-24 Gustavus Adolphus 37 25
T-24 Piedmont 37 NR

Others receiving votes: Mary Hardin-Baylor (28), Trinity (TX) (28), Rochester (25), Berry (24), Nebraska Wesleyan (15), Christopher Newport (14), Willamette (14), Greensboro (13), Averett (12), Whitworth (12), Gettysburg (6), McDaniel (8), Rhodes (8), Transylvania (8), Whitman (8), Rose-Hulman (6), RPI (5), Penn State Altoona (4), Hamilton (2), Skidmore (1), Ursinus (1).

2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll – Sept. 20, 2024

After winning the season-opening Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational by 19 shots, Dalton State kept its spot at No. 1 in the Bushnell/Golfweek NAIA Coaches Poll. The defending national champion Roadrunners received seven first-place votes in this latest poll.

Rank University Points Previous
1 Dalton State (7) 199 1
2 Keiser (1) 193 2
3 Texas Wesleyan 171 3
4 Lindsey Wilson 169 5
T-5 British Columbia 159 4
T-5 Oklahoma City 159 12
7 Columbia (Missouri) 135 6
8 OUAZ 132 10
9 Wayland Baptist 125 9
10 Houston-Victoria 118 7
11 Coastal Georgia 117 15
12 Southeastern (Fla.) 113 11
13 MidAmerica Nazarene 109 8
14 Truett McConnell 96 14
15 Cumberland (Tenn.) 82 13
16 William Carey 70 16
17 Webber International 60 17
18 Taylor 49 23
T-19 Bellevue 42 19
T-19 Campbellsville 42 18
T-21 Tennessee Wesleyan 39 RV
T-21 Point 39 20
23 Northwestern (Iowa) 32 24
24 Lawrence Tech 22 22
25 Ave Maria 19 21

Others receiving votes: Lewis-Clark State (17), WVU Tech (17), USAO (12), Morningside (11), The Master’s (10), Cumberlands (KY) (9), Victoria-BC (8), Northwestern Ohio (7), Mount Mercy (6), Missouri Valley College (5), Faulkner (4), Grand View (1), Midway (1), SCAD Savannah (1).

2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. 1 Coaches Poll – Sept. 20, 2024

After winning the Waco River Classic by 15 shots to begin the season, Midland is No. 1 in the latest poll. The Chaparrals received one first-place vote and 51 points, three more than previous No. 1 Odessa (two first-place votes and 48 points).

Rank University Points Previous
1 Midland (1) 51 2
2 Odessa (2) 48 1
3 Hutchinson (1) 45 T-4
4 Indian Hills (1) 38 T-4
5 New Mexico JC (1) 37 3
6 Central Alabama 27 7
T-7 McLennan 20 6
T-7 Southern Union State 20 NR
T-7 Western Texas 20 9
10 Eastern Florida State 10 T-10

Others receiving votes: Dodge City (8), Weatherford (3), Eastern Wyoming (2), Blinn (1).

2024-25 Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. 1I Coaches Poll – Sept. 20, 2024

With strong showings in powerful fields to begin their seasons, Mississippi Gulf Coast and Kirkwood share No. 1 in the Bushnell/Golfweek NJCAA Div. II Coaches Poll. The last two national champions each received two first-place votes and 38 points, nine more than South Mountain (29 points).

Rank University Points Previous
T-1 Mississippi Gulf Coast (2) 38 1
T-1 Kirkwood (2) 38 2
3 South Mountain (AZ) 29 3
4 Roane State 24 4
5 Parkland 19 6
6 Des Moines 17 5
7 Iowa Central 16 T-9
8 Meridian 14 7
T-9 Hawkeye 7 NR
T-9 Heartland 7 NR

Others receiving votes: Murray State (Okla.) (6), Vincennes (2), Hesston (1).

Which Big 12 team has been the biggest surprise through three weeks?

Updated breakdown on week-by-week FBS re-rankings for each Big 12 team.

It has been an interesting start for the Big 12 football season to say the very least. The trio of teams at the top with Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Utah isn’t a surprise, however, Arizona State looking better than its in-state rivals is. More on the Sun Devils shortly.

Other eyebrow-raisers include the slow starts by the Colorado Buffaloes and Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are both 2-1 but have had poor showings as of late. They both struggled in Week 1 against FCS opposition before getting blown out in Week 2 and coming back with blowout wins of their own in Week 3.

This week we are reviewing Paul Myerberg’s FBS re-rankings under a different lens. Here are the week-by-week rankings through the first three weeks of the 2024 college football season.

Big 12 football’s week-by-week re-rankings

Team Preseason Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
Arizona 42 41 45 50
Arizona State 105 56 44 28
Baylor 92 86 86 77
BYU 64 62 55 46
Cincinnati 90 88 88 83
Colorado 89 101 102 88
Houston 80 98 98 94
Iowa State 31 29 14 14
Kansas 23 22 30 52
Kansas State 15 13 10 9
Oklahoma State 27 26 20 20
TCU 38 30 29 30
Texas Tech 41 52 80 75
Utah 12 10 9 10
UCF 20 21 18 15
West Virginia 40 48 52 65
Via Paul Myerberg’s weekly re-ranking

Big 12’s Biggest Surprise

Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Sun Devils have shot out of a cannon to begin the 2024 season already matching last season’s win total of three games through three weeks. Former Michigan State quarterback Sam Leavitt now leads them into their first-ever Big 12 matchup when they visit Texas Tech on Saturday.

Big 12’s Biggest Dropoff

Ben Queen-Imagn Images

We thought the Mountaineers turned a corner last season with the 9-4 finish with a win in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl over North Carolina. However, it looks more like the team that put head coach Neal Brown on the hot seat in the first place after dropping both Power Four matchups through three weeks. They face an equally struggling Kansas Jayhawks team on Saturday, another loss and the hot seat rumors might heat up once again.

Arizona State’s 295-pound C.J. Fite with spectacular THICC-Six

Talk about an amazing big-man TD, C.J. Fite of Arizona State

The best big-man touchdown of the year may have happened in the Mississippi State-Arizona State game on Saturday.

At 6-foot-1, 295 pounds, C.J. Fite proved to be athletic and agile.

The Bulldogs’ Blake Shapen tried to do too much as he was about to be sacked. The football went airborne and took some crazy twists before Fite wound up with it and reached over the pylon for the score.

The play made it 20-3 for the Sun Devils in the second quarter of the Big12-SEC matchup.

World No. 4 amateur Wenyi Ding no longer at Arizona State. What’s next?

Ding won’t compete for the Sun Devils this fall, a school spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek.

Wenyi Ding, the No. 4 amateur in the world, is no longer on the Arizona State men’s golf roster.

Ding will remain an amateur for the foreseeable future, but he won’t compete for the Sun Devils this fall, a school spokesperson confirmed to Golfweek. Ding, who won the Southern Amateur this summer, withdrew from the U.S. Amateur field last week because of an undisclosed injury.

Last spring, Ding made a stellar collegiate debut. He posted five top-six finishes, including a record-setting win at the Amer Ari Invitational. He earned first-team All-America honors and was expected to be one of the top collegiate players this season.

However, Ding’s decision to not play for Arizona State this fall likely has to do with his position in the Global Amateur Pathway ranking, where he sits No. 1. The ranking rewards the top non-collegiate amateur each year with a DP World Tour card.

In order to be eligible for the ranking, a player must “not be a current NCAA Division-I player” and “be at least 20 years of age by the end of the calendar year.” Ding turns 20 in November.

The first exemptions will be awarded for the 2025 season.

Even with Ding’s departure, the Sun Devils have a loaded roster for the 2024-25 season. Highlighting the roster is world No. 7 and 2024 U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester and Preston Summerhays, the PGA Tour University No. 1 in the Class of 2025 and world No. 6.

Duke basketball schedules charity exhibition against Bobby Hurley and Arizona State

Duke basketball legend Bobby Hurley, now the coach at Arizona State, returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Oct. 27th for a charity exhibition.

Bobby Hurley is coming back to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The two-time national champion and Duke basketball’s all-time assist leader now coaches Arizona State, and the Blue Devils announced on Wednesday that the Sun Devils would come to Durham for a charity exhibition on October 27th.

All of the proceeds from ‘Brotherhood Run’ will benefit Duke Children’s Hospital.

“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said in a release from the school. “Duke Children’s Hospital has been a great partner to our program for a long time, starting with Coach K, and to keep that relationship going means a lot to me and to our program.”

Hurley, whose jersey is retired with the Blue Devils, remains the only Duke basketball player with 1,000 career assists. He helped the school win its first two national championships in 1991 and 1992.

“It will be special for me to return to Cameron Indoor,” Hurley said in Duke’s release about the game. “Our team is excited for the opportunity to compete against a storied basketball program.”

Hurley has been the Arizona State head coach since 2015.

The game takes place before Duke’s season opener, a November 4 home game against Maine.

Sam Leavitt named starting quarterback for Arizona State

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham named Sam Leavitt the starting quarterback for the program’s first season in the Big 12.

Sam Leavitt was officially named the starting quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Leavitt will be the signal caller for the opener on August 31st at home against the Wyoming Cowboys, coach Kenny Dillingham announced on Monday.

Leavitt is a 6’2, 200lbs redshirt freshman who came to Arizona State from Michigan State. Last season with the Spartans he played in four games and completed 15 of 23 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Leavitt was a three-star prospect, but a top 25 quarterback out of high school. He will get the nod over Jeff Sims and Trenton Bourguet.

The Big 12 season for Arizona State will start on September 21st. The Sun Devils are on the road at the Texas Tech Red Raiders in that game. The first Big 12 home game for Arizona State will come on October 5th against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Sun Devils went 3-9 as season ago. The season ended in ugly fashion, as they were smacked by 36 points against rival Arizona Wildcats in their Pac-12 finale.

How this U.S. Amateur finalist is honoring slain Iowa State golfer

Ballester has plenty to play for Sunday.

CHASKA, Minn. — One of Josele Ballester’s head covers has the initials CBA on it. It may seem insignificant to most, but it’s a driving force for Ballester every time he tees it up.

The initials stand for Celia Barquin Arozamena, a former Iowa State golfer who was killed Sept. 17, 2018, while playing golf alone at Coldwater Golf Links in Ames, Iowa. The 22-year-old won the Big 12 Championship earlier that year.

This week, Ballester has made a run to the championship match of the 2024 U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club, and Barquin Arozamena has been with him every step of the way.

“I had a chance to play with her once, and I’m pretty close to the family she had in Spain because we are from the same area,” said Ballester, who turns 21 on Sunday and is a rising senior at Arizona State. “So it’s just in her honor. Those are her initials.”

Collin Richards, the homeless man who pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing Barquin Arozamena, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Ballester is far from the only person to honor Barquin Arozamena. Nacho Elvira dedicated his win at the 2021 Cazoo Open on the DP World Tour to her, as well. Numerous college and players held memorials after the killing.

“(I’ve had it) since the moment it happened,” Ballester said. “Five, six years.”

On Sunday, Ballester will try to become the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Amateur, a historic feat.

But he’s also playing in memory of CBA.

Florida basketball finalizing December date with Arizona State

Looks like the Gators and Sun Devils are nearly set for their mid-December meeting in Atlanta.

Florida basketball and the Arizona State Sun Devils are finalizing a date for their 2024-25 season matchup, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. The two programs will face off on Dec. 14 at the State Farm Center in Atlanta.

The Gators and Sun Devils have met just twice on the college hoops parquet, with the Orange and Blue prevailing in both games. Florida’s first win came on Dec. 29, 1984, upending ASU in Indianapolis, Indiana, by a final score of 87-73.

The second victory was in the NIT Quarterfinals in Tempe, Arizona, on March 26, 2008. Junior guard Walter Hodge scored 18 points, including several late baskets, en route to the 70-57 rout.

Gators 2024-25 season opener

Florida will face the South Florida Bulls on Nov. 4 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville to open the schedule. However, the only officially announced game on Florida’s schedule is the Dec. 4 matchup with Virginia, which is part of the SEC-ACC Challenge.

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Priority 2026 QB target Jaden O’Neal names top 10, commitment expected in July

Oklahoma Sooners Priority QB target Jaden O’Neal names top ten.

Over the last few months, Oklahoma has entrenched itself in building the foundation for its [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag]. They are right in the thick of finishing their [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag], but by December, things should be signed, sealed, and delivered in that respect.

This summer, along with their efforts for 2025, Oklahoma has offered 2026 players left and right and has hosted many of them during Brent Venables Football Camp.

The Sooners are set at QB for the next few years, we’d venture to say. The Sooners expect [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] for at least the next two years, and they have [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] behind him. In the 2025 class, four-star field general [autotag]Kevin Sperry[/autotag] is already committed. With that depth already, the Sooners can focus even further, bringing us to 2026.

On the radar for 2026, one name stands out above the crop for the Sooners: [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag]. The Sooners have an overwhelming amount of love from the recruiting industry to land the talented passer out of California, and right now, it’s hard to see the recruitment not ultimately ending up in the Sooners’ favor.

Predictions from On3, 247Sports, and Rivals all favor the Sooners, with the most recent coming from Sooners Illustrated and 247Sports’ Collin Kennedy and James Jackson.

On Wednesday, O’Neal updated the world on his recruitment by announcing his top ten schools.

Colorado, Auburn, Washington, FSU, Ohio State, Miami, Penn State, Arizona State, and Oregon join the Sooners in fighting for O’Neal’s commitment.

O’Neal has visited and camped with the Sooners this summer, as well as many of the other schools in his top ten. He competed at their camps as well. He has a competitive drive that should be admired.

His recruitment could be coming to a close before the end of the summer as he told Marshall Levenson of Rivals that he was eyeing a “late July, early August” commitment date.

Oklahoma is in a prime spot in every possible way, but closing is the key. [autotag]Seth Litrell[/autotag] has been around the recruiting block a few times, and this would be his first quarterback recruit since becoming Oklahoma’s play-caller and co-offensive coordinator. If he could close the deal, Littrell would start his tenure off with a massive win.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.