Eric Gilpin Assistant Coach & Director of Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Eric Gilpin Assistant Coach & Director of Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Fighting Illini men's golf players Jackson Buchanan and Max Herendeen have been recognized as honorable mention selections on the 2025 PING All-America team, announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
Buchanan, a senior, achieved his third consecutive All-America recognition from the GCAA. Previously, he was named to the third team in 2024 and received an honorable mention in 2023. Herendeen, a sophomore, has also been acknowledged for two years running after earning second-team honors as a freshman last year. Both athletes were similarly honored by Golfweek last week.
Jackson Buchanan's achievements this season include winning the Byron Nelson Award and receiving Illinois' Big Ten Medal of Honor. He is a unanimous All-Big Ten selection and a GCAA PING All-Midwest Region honoree. Buchanan concluded his senior year ranked first on his team and third in the Big Ten at No. 37 in NCAA Division I men's golf player rankings. His performance peaked at 11th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) during the season. He posted a career-best stroke average of 70.93 and secured his fourth collegiate victory at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational. Buchanan will make his professional debut next week at the U.S. Open.
Max Herendeen is notable for being the first Illini golfer since Charlie Danielson to earn back-to-back All-America honors from GCAA during his freshman and sophomore seasons. The Bellevue native ended this season ranked No. 38 in NCAA player rankings, second on his team, third in the Big Ten overall, and first among underclassmen in his league. His WAGR ranking reached as high as No. 24 this season.
Herendeen advanced to the final round of stroke play at the NCAA Championship with a team-best average of 70.85 and held an impressive head-to-head record of .843 over opponents this season. He tied with Ryan Voois for leading with 14 rounds in the '60s.
In addition to these accolades, Dane Huddleston – set to join Illinois as a junior transfer – was named an Honorable Mention All-American following an outstanding season at Utah Valley.
The Division I PING All-America Teams feature selections across various categories including First Team through Honorable Mentions encompassing athletes from numerous universities nationwide.
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