University of California-Los Angeles Men's Golf

Armen Kirakossian enters his fourth season as the UCLA men’s golf head coach in 2025-26. He was selected to lead UCLA’s program on June 13, 2022, and has made an immediate impact in Westwood in his first three seasons. Kirakossian has guided UCLA’s program on a strong trajectory as the Bruins have played their best golf in years. Most recently, UCLA advanced to the 2025 NCAA Championships after a third-place finish at the NCAA Auburn Regional. The Bruins earned spots at the NCAA Regionals in 2024 (at Stanford) and in 2025 (at Auburn). UCLA advanced to the NCAA Championships in 2025 for the first time since 2018. In 2025, Kirakossian was honored as the NCAA Division I Golf Pride Grips West Region Coach of the Year, as selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He was also a finalist for the 2025 NCAA Division I Dave Williams Coach of the Year Award. UCLA swept the 2025 Big Ten Conference men’s golf awards, including Kirakossian being named the league’s Coach of the Year. In addition, Pablo Ereño was honored as the Big Ten Men’s Golfer of the Year and Baylor Larrabee was recognized as the conference’s Freshman of the Year. Kirakossian became UCLA’s first head coach to secure conference “Coach of the Year” acclaim since 2010-11 (Derek Freeman). Likewise, Ereño became the Bruins’ first student-athlete to earn conference "Golfer of the Year” accolades since Patrick Cantlay in 2010-11. As a team, UCLA produced three team tournament wins in 2024-25. During the fall season,

Mason Banger enters his third season as an assistant coach with the UCLA men’s golf team in 2025-26. He joined the Bruins’ program in July of 2023, working alongside head coach Armen Kirakossian. Banger and Kirakossian have positioned UCLA to play their best golf in years, having concluded the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with NCAA postseason trips. UCLA advanced to the NCAA Stanford Regional in 2023-24 before securing a spot at the 2025 NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, Calif. The Bruins finished in third place at the 2025 NCAA Auburn Regional, advancing through to the program’s first NCAA Championships appearance since 2018. In Banger’s two years with UCLA’s program, the Bruins have placed third or better in 11 tournaments. The Bruins produced three team tournaments wins in 2024-25 and had one runner-up finish that season. During the fall season, the Bruins won The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate in Carmel, Calif. That marked UCLA’s first team win since taking the title at The Lamkin San Diego Classic in 2021. The Bruins finished in first place out of 30 teams at The Goodwin, hosted by Stanford University in March 2025. In their first season as members of the Big Ten Conference, UCLA won the Big Ten Championships at Baltimore Country Club, finishing one stroke ahead of second-place Illinois. The Bruins finished third or higher in seven tournaments in 2024-25, including a runner-up finish in October 2024 at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate. UCLA closed the 2024-25 golf season