North Carolina State University Athletics

Stephen Franken Named Men’s Golf ACC Player of the Year
5/10/2018 1:50:00 PM | Men's Golf
Franken is fourth ACC Player of the Year in NC State men's golf history
RALEIGH – NC State men's golf junior Stephen Franken has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year the league office announced Thursday.
"We are proud of Stephen and grateful he is receiving this recognition from the ACC," NC State head men's golf coach Press McPhaul said. "Stephen has been so consistent in effort and mindset in his golf and academic work. He is a great representative of NC State. Daily, he gives great energy and effort to our program. His work and this recognition shows what is possible here at NC State.
"It serves to show the program's best days are ahead."
Franken has put together one of the best seasons in NC State history in his junior campaign as he has been named a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year award. The Raleigh native currently has a stroke average of 70.27 per round which ranks second all-time in the NC State record books.
Franken's 62 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Classic in February is tied for the lowest round in NC State history.
The 2017 All-ACC selection also tied for the lowest score related to par in NC State history when he fired a 15-under par to win the Wolfpack Intercollegiate back in October.
This season, Franken has been the Pack's top finisher in six of 10 tournaments as he has recorded seven top-10 finishes, including five top-five finishes. He has played 21 of his 30 rounds this year at par or better.
The Raleigh native is the top-ranked ACC golfer on both Golfstat (13) and Golfweek (17) rankings. Recently, Franken was a Coaches Selection to be on Team USA for the Arnold Palmer Cup in July. This year's Arnold Palmer Cup will be played in France.
He is the fourth Wolfpack golfer to win the award, joining Tim Clark (1997), Matt Hill (2009), and Albin Choi (2013).
Franken and NC State return to action on Monday, May 14 when it competes as the No. 6 seed in NCAA Regional held at Lonnie Poole Golf Course.
"We are proud of Stephen and grateful he is receiving this recognition from the ACC," NC State head men's golf coach Press McPhaul said. "Stephen has been so consistent in effort and mindset in his golf and academic work. He is a great representative of NC State. Daily, he gives great energy and effort to our program. His work and this recognition shows what is possible here at NC State.
"It serves to show the program's best days are ahead."
Franken has put together one of the best seasons in NC State history in his junior campaign as he has been named a semifinalist for the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year award. The Raleigh native currently has a stroke average of 70.27 per round which ranks second all-time in the NC State record books.
Franken's 62 in the first round of the Puerto Rico Classic in February is tied for the lowest round in NC State history.
The 2017 All-ACC selection also tied for the lowest score related to par in NC State history when he fired a 15-under par to win the Wolfpack Intercollegiate back in October.
This season, Franken has been the Pack's top finisher in six of 10 tournaments as he has recorded seven top-10 finishes, including five top-five finishes. He has played 21 of his 30 rounds this year at par or better.
The Raleigh native is the top-ranked ACC golfer on both Golfstat (13) and Golfweek (17) rankings. Recently, Franken was a Coaches Selection to be on Team USA for the Arnold Palmer Cup in July. This year's Arnold Palmer Cup will be played in France.
He is the fourth Wolfpack golfer to win the award, joining Tim Clark (1997), Matt Hill (2009), and Albin Choi (2013).
Franken and NC State return to action on Monday, May 14 when it competes as the No. 6 seed in NCAA Regional held at Lonnie Poole Golf Course.
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