Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini junior Jackson Buchanan has been named Big Ten Golfer of the Year, marking a significant achievement for both the athlete and the Illinois program. Earlier this week, Buchanan was also selected unanimously to the Big Ten All-Conference first team.

Illinois head coach Mike Small expressed his delight at Buchanan's recognition, stating, "I am so happy for Jackson to be recognized as the Big Ten Golfer of the Year. Jackson has had a very successful and consistent season, and his record speaks for itself. As his coach, it is great to see his dedication and outstanding play recognized by the conference."

This honor represents the 15th time a Fighting Illini golfer has received this award and continues a streak of four consecutive wins for Illinois since 2021. Buchanan hails from Dacula, Georgia, and is currently ranked as the top golfer in the Big Ten according to NCAA Division I individual rankings.

Buchanan's achievements include two tournament victories this season at the Purdue Fall Invitational and Duck Invitational. He also finished as runner-up at last weekend's Big Ten Conference Championship. His season stroke average of 70.65 is on track to be one of Illinois' best in history.

In addition to his own accomplishments, Buchanan shares this year's Big Ten Golfer of the Year title with Herman Sekne from Purdue after an initial announcement error regarding ballot submissions was corrected.

Other notable awards include Max Herendeen from Illinois being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and David Inglis from Northwestern receiving Coach of the Year honors.

The full list of All-Big Ten teams features several standout players from various universities within the conference.