April 20, 2005

Gulfport, Miss. - Freshman Keven Fortin-Simard of the Memphis men's golf team was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team as well as third team All-Conference, it was announced at the conclusion of the men's golf championship on Wednesday. It marks the third straight year that Memphis has had at least one All-Conference honoree.

Fortin-Simard, one of just two Memphis golfers that played in every event this year, ended the year with a 73.8 stroke average, second on the team, in 29 rounds of competitive golf over 10 tournaments. The native of Roberval, Quebec, won individual medalist honors at his first collegiate event back in September, the Radrick Farms Intercollegiate in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was the only golfer in the field to shoot under par in all three rounds of the tournament. He placed in the top 10 in four of the 10 events all together. He also placed in the top 15 in five events and the top five in three tournaments, tops on the team in both categories. He led Memphis to three tournament titles during the fall while averaging a score of 71.7 each round as well as a pair of second place finishes during the spring season.

One of four freshman that started in tournaments this year, Fortin-Simard was in the #1 position in the Memphis starting lineup for nine of U of M's 10 tournaments. Of his 29 competitive rounds, he shot eight subpar rounds and five rounds of even par. Though it was not considered in the balloting process, he also set two Memphis-area course records over the fall during tournament qualifying and practice, with a pair of 64's at Quail Ridge and Whispering Woods.