ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Fighting Illini men's golf was recognized by the Big Ten on Wednesday morning (May 4) as the conference announced its annual postseason awards.

Senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart was the unanimous selection for the conference's top honor as he capture his second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year award. Dumont de Chassart was joined on the Big Ten All-Conference first team by fellow senior Tommy Kuhl, while sophomore Piercen Hunt was tabbed as a second-team All-Big Ten performer. Kuhl was also named as the Illini's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, and head coach Mike Small took home his 12^th Big Ten Coach of the Year laurel overall, and his 11^th of 13 dating back to 2009.  

Dumont de Chassart, the 2022 Les Bolstad Award winner with the conference's lowest stroke average, takes home the Illinois program's 13th Big Ten Golfer of the Year award and becomes the first Illini to secure the award twice since Steve Stricker did so in 1988 and 1989.

Dumont de Chassart, was a unanimous first-team All-B1G selection, his third-career all-conference award following a first-team nod in 2021 and a second-team selection as a freshman in 2019. A Haskins Award Watch List selection, Dumont de Chassasrt is coming off of a second-place individual finish to help lead the Illini to their seventh consecutive Big Ten Championship at The Pete Dye Course at French Lick last weekend. Following the thrilling Championship finish, Dumont de Chassart was presented with the Les Bolstad Award as the golfer with the league's best average (70.15), on pace to set the program record established last season by Michael Feagles. Dumont de Chassart captured his third collegiate victory earlier this season at the Boilermaker Invitational, and has top-20 finishes in 10 of 11 events on the year, including seven top-fives. He closed as Illinois first- or second-place finisher in all 11 events, pacing the squad in a team-most six tournaments, and has tallied a team-most 27 (out of 33) rounds at par or better.

Kuhl's first-team All-Big Ten honor marks the first all-conference selection of his career. The Morton, Ill., native has emerged as one of the Illini's top performers, ranking second on the team with a season stroke average of 71.85, nearly a full stroke ahead of his previous season-best (72.53) set as a sophomore in 2019-20. Kuhl placed as the Illini's top finisher in three events in 2021-22, the second-most on the team behind Dumont de Chassart. Entering NCAA Regionals, Kuhl has posted six top-20 individual finishes, including a trio of third-place showings at the Hoosier Collegiate, the Boilermaker Invitational, and the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate.  Kuhl also tied for sixth at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational posting a career-low round of 65, a personal-best 54-hole score of 207 (-9). He has tallied 17 of 33 rounds of the season at par or better, the third most on the team.

Hunt also garners all-conference accolades for the first time in his career with his second-team All-Big Ten selection. The sophomore from Hartland, Wis., ranks third on the team with a season stroke average of 72.03, more than a full stroke ahead of his freshman season (73.20). He has recorded top-10 finishes in six of 11 tournaments, including a tie for ninth at the Big Ten Championship. Hunt won the first tournament of his collegiate career at the prestigious Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in October, tallying a career-low single-round score of 68 (-4) in Rounds 1 and 3, and finishing with a career-best 54-hole tally of 209 (-7). He ranked second on the team with 18 rounds of par or better.

Kuhl 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. In addition to his performances on the course, Kuhl is a CoSIDA Academic All-America nominee, a two-time academic All-B1G and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree, and a member of the 202 Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar team.

The Fighting Illini will now await the selection of the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship field, which will be released as part of GOLF Channel's College Central coverage today at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT.

NCAA Regionals are slated for May 16-18, and will be held at six sites: Traditions Club (Bryan, Texas; host: Texas A&M), OSU Golf Club – Scarlet Course (Columbus, Ohio; host: Ohio State), Yale Golf Course (New Haven, Conn.; host: Yale), PGA National Resort – Champions Course (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; host: Florida Atlantic), The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, Calif.; host: Pacific), and Jimmie Austin Golf Club (Norman, Okla.; host: Oklahoma).

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2022 BIG TEN MEN'S GOLF ALL-CONFERENCE AND INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS

• Big Ten Golfer of the Year: ADRIEN DUMONT DE CHASSART, ILLINOIS
• Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Ashton McCulloch, Michigan State
• Big Ten Coach of the Year: Mike Small, Illinois

 ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS
First Team

• ADRIEN DUMONT DE CHASSART, ILLINOIS
• Tommy Kuhl, Illinois
• James Piot, Michigan State
• DAVID NYFJÄLL, NORTHWESTERN
• MAXWELL MOLDOVAN, OHIO STATE
• HERMAN SEKNE, PURDUE
• Joe Weiler, Purdue
• GRIFFIN BARELA, WISCONSIN

Second Team 

• Piercen Hunt, Illinois
• Ronan Kleu, Iowa
• Mac McClear, Iowa
• Ashton McCulloch, Michigan State
• August Meekhof, Michigan State
• Adam Wallin, Ohio State
• Patrick Sheehan, Penn State
• Cole Bradley, Purdue

Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
 
Sportsmanship Award Honorees

• Tommy Kuhl, Illinois
• Ethan Shepherd, Indiana
• Callum Macfie, Iowa
• Will Koras, Maryland
• Charlie Pilon, Michigan
• Brad Smithson, Michigan State
• Ben Warian, Minnesota
• Caleb Badura, Nebraska
• David Nyfjäll, Northwestern
• Maxwell Moldovan, Ohio State
• Patrick Sheehan, Penn State
• Cole Bradley, Purdue
• Jack Doherty, Rutgers
• Robbie Morway, Wisconsin