Amat Named Mountain West Freshman of the Year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Freshman Bastien Amat of The University of New Mexico men’s golf team has been named 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year following an outstanding inaugural campaign as a Lobo, the conference announced on Thursday.

In addition, the conference announced that junior Sam Choi and sophomore Albert Boneta earned spots on the 2021 All-Mountain West Team. The honors come after the Lobos claimed their second straight Mountain West title.

Choi, currently ranked No. 23 in the nation as an individual by GolfStat, finished tied for first at the 2021 Mountain West Championship, falling in a four-way playoff for the individual title this season.

Choi leads the Lobos with a 70.52 scoring average and a low-round score of 66 on the season. He led the Lobos in five out of UNM’s seven tournaments and posted four top-10 finishes on the season, five in the top 15 and six in the top 16.

Boneta also had a standout season as he claimed his first collegiate victory at the Thunderbird Collegiate in April. He tied for first overall coming in at 12-under par. Boneta led UNM in two tournaments this season after tying Choi for fifth at the Lobos’ opening tournament in Arizona.

Boneta ranks second on the team in scoring average (71.33) and has posted a team-low round of 65 twice this season.

Amat boasts the highest counted round percentage on the team at 94.44 percent (17/18) and averages 72.50 strokes per round on the season, fourth on the squad.

The France native has posted one top-10 finish, tied for fifth at the PING Cougar Classic, before finishing 11th at the Mountain West Championships. Amat registered his first three-round score under par at the PING Cougar Classic (-9) and has done so since with his score of -4 at the conference tournament.

Amat, Boneta and Choi will return to action on Monday as they help lead the Lobos into 2021 NCAA Regional competition. UNM enters the regional seeded fifth overall and will compete on its home course.