Big Ten Release

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Fighting Illini men's golf was recognized by the Big Ten on Monday (May 18) as the conference announced its postseason awards for the truncated 2019-20 season. Jerry Ji was voted the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned second-team all-conference honors, joining first-team selection Michael Feagles and second-team honoree Giovanni Tadiotto, to give the Illini a league-most three selections.

"Congratulations to Michael, Giovanni, and Jerry on earning All-Big Ten Conference honors, and congratulations to Jerry for earning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year," said head coach Mike Small. "It's great to see their hard work and dedication being recognized, and I am looking forward to their growth and development continuing into next season." 

Ji ranked second on the team (behind Feagles' 71.56) with a stroke average of 72.0 over 18 rounds before the 2019-20 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A native of Hoofddorp, Netherlands, Ji opened his rookie campaign in impressive fashion at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, where he finished tied for 15th. He tied a program-record with a 63 in the first round of his collegiate career, and finished the event with a total of 204, the top 54-hole score for the team this year. Ji also paced the Illini at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational. He becomes the seventh Illini to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, and the first since Feagles in 2017

Feagles' all-conference selection marks the fourth first-team nod of his collegiate career. He is the fifth Illini to collect four All-Big Ten honors, joining Steve Stricker (1986-89), Thomas Detry (2013-16), Nick Hardy (2015-18), and Dylan Meyer (2015-18), and will have an opportunity to pursue a fifth after announcing his return to the team, along with classmate Tadiotto, for the 2020-21 season. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native led the Illini with 12 rounds of par or better during the season, and posted his best individual finish of the year with an eighth-place showing at the Sports Authority Intercollegiate. Feagles ranked as the Illini's top finisher twice in 2019-20, pacing the team at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational and the Crooked Stick Invitational

Tadiotto was hitting his stride early in the spring schedule after a slow start to the season. The Anderlecht, Belgium, native paced the Illini in each of two February events played prior to the season cancellation. He began 2020 by tying for fourth at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate to help the Illini to a second-place finish, and followed up that effort with a tie for third at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, to lead the Illini to a fourth-place finish. He closed the Burns Intercollegiate by shooting a season-best round (67), jumping nine spots up the leaderboard on the final day, and was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week. It marks the second consecutive all-conference nod for Tadiotto, who was also voted to the second team as a junior in 2019.

Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a sophomore from Villers la Ville, Belgium, was also recognized with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The students chosen for the Sportsmanship Award are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Dumont de Chassart earned second-team all-conference honors as a freshman in 2019 after capturing the individual title at last year's Big Ten Championship.

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