March 23, 2011

Park Ridge, Ill. - Illinois senior Chris DeForest has been named the Big Ten co-Golfer of the Week. DeForest, who shares the honor with Purdue's William Sjaichudin, wins the award for the fifth time in his career.

This is the third Big Ten weekly honor for Illinois golf this spring. Junior Luke Guthrie won back-to-back accolades on March 2 and March 9.

DeForest finished 4-0 at the Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championship. He defeated Baylor's Payne Gniewek, 3 and 2, in the fourth-seeded Illini's 5-0 first-round win over the 13th-seeded Bears. DeForest followed with a 1-up victory against Ignacia Elvira in Illinois' 3-2 win against fifth-seeded Texas A&M in the second round. He then earned a 5 and 4 win over Tyler Weworski to push the Illini to a 3-2 triumph against ninth-seeded Texas Tech in the semifinals. The senior picked up Illinois' lone win in the finals, topping 10th-seeded Duke's Tim Gornik, 3 and 2, in the Illini's 4-1 loss to the Blue Devils.