Head Coach

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FO(u)RKS UP! English, Winkworth, Thurmond and Farr-Kaye Sign Extensions

TEMPE – Two national champion coaches. A recent Pac-12 Coach of the Year. An alumni from the past and recent graduate of Arizona State. A coach who has a team full of Barrett, The Honors College and international students. Leaders who have programs hosting national championships.

Sun Devil Athletics is extending the contracts of Cliff English (triathlon), Missy Farr-Kaye (women's golf), Matt Thurmond (men's golf) and Graham Winkworth (soccer) into the 2027-28 athletic season, Ray Anderson has announced.

"These four coaches have been incredible not only with their records, but in their understanding of the goals and mission of Sun Devil Athletics. Each one has done great things in different ways," Anderson noted. "It is not only what they are producing, but how they are producing. They have been incredible team players and we are confident they will continue to do so. We want them here, not only to lead their programs, but to help other coaches."

Cliff English – Hired in November of 2015
"When we hired Cliff English we knew that we needed someone to not only put ASU on the map, but elevate the sport nationally. He has done just that. His program has dominated, but his focus on making sure the sport is growing shows in another Pac-12 school adding the sport next year. There is more on the way, and Cliff is the right person not only for ASU, but for collegiate triathlon to look towards for leadership as it continues to grow." -- Ray Anderson

The women's triathlon program has thrived under the helm of coach English as the program has won six straight national championships – tied for the most in any women's triathlon division (Queens of Charlotte, DII). During English's tenure, Arizona State has had 26 All-Americans and 29 Scholar All-Americans. He has mentored four Division I Individual national champions as well as four-straight Division I Freshman of the Year honorees. Women's triathlon has also been the home of elite work in the sport, but also in the classroom. Katie Gorcyza and Charlotte Ahrens were both nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year, with Ahrens selected as one of the top nine finalists. English has also coached three women who have received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Awards. In 2021, the Sun Devils were awarded the Team Scholar All-American honor by CTCA and USA Triathlon with a fall semester GPA of 3.88.

"Thank you to Ray Anderson, Bill Kennedy, and the entire Sun Devil administration for the opportunity to continue to lead our Women's Triathlon program as head coach! It is an absolute pleasure, honor and privilege to coach this amazing group of young women and to coach at Arizona State University," Cliff English stated. "I am incredibly fortunate to do what I love in a place and community that is my home! I am truly a Sun Devil for life! O2V!"

A standout leader and teacher in the sport – he was nominated four seasons in a row by the Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association as the Division I Coach of the Year. After dominating the top Division I spot for four years running, English received Arizona State's 2020 Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year Award. The award is given to the Sun Devil women's coach who most exhibits the four pillars of the Sun Devil Way: integrity, championship, performance, graduation and tradition. 

Graham Winkworth – Hired in November of 2016 
"Coach Winkworth has now made the tournament two of the past three seasons and recruited arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the program. He recruits Barrett, the Honors College students, he recruits internationally and he schedules hard and hires great people for his staff. Everyone in our department appreciates Coach Winkworth's efforts and his teamwork. We also appreciate him winning at the NCAA Tournament-level." -- Ray Anderson

The 2022 season included the program's second NCAA appearance in three seasons. Under Winkworth, the Sun Devils have now posted a winning record in three consecutive seasons, the first time since 2012-15. Fifth-year senior Nicole Douglas became the first player in program history to become a two-time All-American. The program's all-time career leader in goals (60), points (140) & game-winning goals (18), Douglas, who was named the 2022 Pac-12 Forward of the Year in addition to earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors, concluded the regular season ranked seventh nationally in goals per game (0.82), 11th in points per game (1.82), 25th in shots on goal per game (1.88) and 29th in game-winning goals (4). 

"Thank you to Ray Anderson, Tesh Rao and the entire athletic department for the opportunity to continue in the role as head soccer coach," Graham Winkworth said. "It is an absolute pleasure to work with this group of women daily and a delight for my family and I to be a part of the Sun Devil and Valley community."

With 10 wins in 2021, Sun Devil Soccer posted a double-digit win total twice (2018 and 2021) four seasons – and that does not include the 9-6-2 record that was good enough to earn the squad a berth in the 2020 NCAA Tournament – after accomplishing the same feat twice in the previous 10 seasons. After its 8-1 record in non-conference play, ASU earned a No. 15 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, its highest in program history. ASU was led by 2021 NCAA scoring leader Nicole Douglas, who earned Third-Team All-America honors and was one of 13 players named to the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2021. Douglas, who became the first Sun Devil to earn All-America honors since 2002, set the single-season school records for goals (19) and points (45). She led the nation in goals (19), goals per game (0.95) and points per game (2.25). Also placing her name in the Sun Devil record book was midfielder Eva van Deursen after she set the school's single-season record with 10 assists.
 
The Sun Devils had their best season under head coach Winkworth in 2020 (played during the spring of 2021 due to Covid-19), finishing the regular season with an 8-5-2 record and making a postseason run for the first time since 2014 and eighth in school history. ASU made it to the second round of the tournament to become the fifth ASU soccer team to advance to that stage in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Winkworth and company boasted an undefeated non-conference slate, including an overtime comeback thriller at Grand Canyon to protect the win-streak. ASU continued its unbeaten streak through eight games and notched wins against UCLA, Stanford, and USC to become only the fourth team in history to beat all three programs in a single season. With a 4-4-2 record in Pac-12 Conference play, the Sun Devils finished in the middle of the table after being picked to finish last in the preseason poll. The Sun Devils scored 28 goals in 17 games, second-most in the Pac-12 Conference. ASU boasted one of the strongest defensive lines in the Pac-12, conceding only 16 goals and forcing ASU's keepers to make only 57 saves - fifth-fewest among Conference competitors.
 
In 2019, Winkworth led his team to a dominant start to the season, securing five-straight wins for just the second time in program history, and carded their best start to a season since winning nine straight to start the 2000 season. The five-game win streak was the longest for the Sun Devils since 2014. ASU's strong non-conference performance helped the Pac-12 record the best-ever win percentage in conference play. Together, the league's 77-14-9 record for a .815 win percentage, the highest of any conference in the nation, and the highest non-conference win percentage by the league in Pac-12 history. Winkworth's 2019 squad combined to score 33 goals on the year, marking the best offensive output for the Sun Devils since scoring 34 goals in 2015. Sun Devil Women's Soccer capped the season with a 6-11-3 record to push Winkworth's overall ASU record to 21-29-7.

Matt Thurmond – Hired in July of 2016
"Coach Thurmond has put us back in NCAA championship discussions with back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time in three decades and has done a fantastic job with our alumni, former players and the golf community. Much of the success of the NCAA championships at Grayhawk and our relationship with Golf Channel has to do with his ability to connect with so many people. We hired a proven head coach when we hired Matt, and that is shown in his ability to lead other coaches in our department. It is also incredible he decided to earn an ASU master's degree while coaching…he not only survived what the pandemic threw at all of us, he thrived." -- Ray Anderson

Thurmond was hired to lead the men's golf program on July 25, 2016, and in his first six seasons has led ASU to 17 team titles, earned 2019 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and hired the nation's top assistant coach who is now the UCLA head coach. Entering 2022-23 he has led ASU to its best NCAA finishes since 1996 with a tie for third in 2021 and last season's runner-up finish to Texas. Last season (2021-22) saw the Sun Devils make a fantastic run to the finals of the NCAA Championship, have another Sun Devil (Preston Summerhays) win Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year and watch four Sun Devils earn All-America honors for the second straight year while also racking up three team tournament wins, including the NCAA Stockton Regional. The 2020-21 season saw two tournament titles in a condensed season with the squad earning a NCAA match play win for the first time, as well as its best finish (tied for third) since it won the 1996 NCAA title. ASU had four GCAA All-Americans, with three returning in 2021-22 and the other (Chun An Yu) earning a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour through the PGA Tour University program. The spring of 2021 was the busiest five months in the history of Sun Devil men's golf with the cancelation of fall golf in the Pac-12, as the Sun Devils played 41 rounds of golf in 136 days, starting on Jan. 17 with a win at the inaugural Copper Cup and finishing with a tough NCAA match play semifinal loss to top-ranked Oklahoma on June 1. In between much happened as ASU competed in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Texas, Florida and Georgia. The team notched four All-Americans for the first time since 2009, and its NCAA finish (tied for third) was its best since it won the 1996 title.

"I've been here more than six years and I love knowing I'll be here many more. I'm thankful to Ray Anderson for believing in me and supporting our program. I take this opportunity to lead Sun Devil Golf very seriously and I will do all I can to continue to make Sun Devil Golf a team everyone can believe in and be proud of," head coach Matt Thurmond said. "With the kind of students we have in our program, and all of the passionate support from our community, it is easy to believe our best days continue to be ahead of us."

 

Missy Farr-Kaye – Hired in June of 2015
"We hired Missy Farr-Kaye and she then won a national title, because as a player and assistant coach she knew the path. Her squads are always in the top-10, she is incredible with the alumni and since she has won a NCAA title as a Sun Devil player, assistant coach and head coach, she truly is one of the best Sun Devils of all-time. As we celebrate 50 years of Title IX, she is an incredible example of achieving student-athlete goals and then making a career out of college athletics." -- Ray Anderson

Since the former standout golfer for Arizona State was named the 10th head coach of the eight-time NCAA Champion Sun Devil Women's Golf team on June 26th, 2015, she has led arguably the nation's premier program. Over the course of eight seasons in charge of the Sun Devil Women's Golf program, Farr-Kaye has maintained the standard of excellence that the program has become recognized nationally for. She has led Arizona State to 17 Team Championships with 14 Sun Devils capturing Individual Titles during her tenure. 
 
Farr-Kaye has already mentored 12 All-Americans, two Pac-12 Individual Medalist, and an Individual NCAA Champion since taking over as head coach prior to the 2015-16 season. She has managed to consistently bring in some of the top talent all over the World. Several Sun Devils have enjoyed extremely successful careers at the International and Professional level both while competing for Farr-Kaye at Arizona State as well as after the conclusion of their collegiate careers. Farr-Kaye and her coaching staff have always prepared individuals for life after college, both on and off the course. Because of these efforts, Farr-Kaye earned the ASU Alumni Achievement award at ASU's annual Founders' Day event in March of 2018.
 
In 2017, she completed the trifecta, winning her third NCAA national championship as a Sun Devil - first as a player (1990), then as an assistant coach (2009), and now as a head coach (2017). Behind First Team All-Americans Linnea Strom and Monica Vaughn (also the individual medalist, sixth in Sun Devil history) and Honorable Mention All-American Olivia Mehaffey, Farr-Kaye led ASU to a nation-leading eighth NCAA championship in 2017. For the team's performance in 2016-17, Farr-Kaye was named Golf Pride Grips WGCA National Coach of the Year, Golfweek National Coach of the Year, West Region Coach of the Year, and Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
 
In addition to all her on the course accomplishments, she has been equally inspirational and driven off the course. She has defeated cancer on two different occasions, most recently announcing she was cancer-free days before leading Sun Devil Women's Golf through a 2021 season that ended with a fifth-place NCAA finish.
 
Farr-Kaye, arguably one of the most respected coaches in the country, spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach and then associate head coach of the Sun Devil women's golf program. Under the guidance of Farr-Kaye, ASU won the school's seventh NCAA Title in 2009, with golfer Azahara Munoz taking home an individual NCAA title in 2008. In the past 21 years since Farr-Kaye joined the program as a coach, the Sun Devils have accomplished the following:
  • NCAA Team Championship in 2009 and 2017
  • 19 NCAA Championship Appearances
  • Two Pac-10 Team Titles (2007 & 2009)
  • NCAA Individual Champion in 2008 (Azahara Munoz) and 2017 (Monica Vaughn)
  • 42 Team Tournament Titles & 36 Individual Tournament Titles
  • 56 All-Conference honorees, including 30 First Teamers
  • Four Pac-12 Golfers of the Year
  • 56 WGCA/NGCA Academic All-Americans
  • Seven Pac-12 Scholar Athletes of the Year (Most of any Pac-12 program)
  • Three NGCA/WGCA Freshmen of the Year

"Thank you to Ray Anderson, Christina Wombacher, and the entire administration for continuing to believe in me to lead our Women's Golf program," coach Missy Farr-Kaye stated. "I am honored every day to have this opportunity at Arizona State University and I am truly a Sun Devil for life! O2V!"

The extensions for Coach Winkworth and Coach English are effective on Jan. 1, 2023, and are extended to Dec. 31, 2027. Thurmond and Farr-Kaye's contract are effective July 1, 2023, and are extended to June 30, 2028.
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Players Mentioned

Preston Summerhays

Preston Summerhays

6' 2"
Sophomore
Nicole Douglas

#9 Nicole Douglas

F
5' 7"
Graduate Student
Eva van Deursen

#14 Eva van Deursen

M
5' 5"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Preston Summerhays

Preston Summerhays

6' 2"
Sophomore
Nicole Douglas

#9 Nicole Douglas

5' 7"
Graduate Student
F
Eva van Deursen

#14 Eva van Deursen

5' 5"
Graduate Student
M