Ali Farokhmanesh is featured speaker for Aug. 9 Golf Classic fundraiser
Kirkwood Community College basketball standout Ali Farokhmanesh will return to help his alma mater on August 9. Farokhnanesh will talk about his Kirkwood experience as a scholarship recipient at the 17th Annual Kirkwood Golf Classic benefit. All proceeds from the golf outing and evening banquet event support Kirkwood student-athletes.
Farokhmanesh joined the 2007-2008 Kirkwood roster with just one year of eligibility, after transferring from Indian Hills Community College. He helped lead the Eagles to a third place finish at the 2008 NJCAA Division II National Tournament by averaging an impressive 16.2 points per game. Farokhmanesh earned NJCAA First Team All-American, Region XI First Team All-Region and Region XI MVP accolades.
After his stint at Kirkwood, Farokhmanesh signed with NCAA Division I University of Northern Iowa. As a junior for the Panthers, he played in all 34 games earning Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer honors.
On July 14, Farokhmanesh joined by teammate Adam Koch and Northern Iowa Coach Ben Jacobson, accepted a 2010 ESPY Award. ESPN viewers voted the UNI March Madness performance the “Best Upset” of the year. In a must-win game on March 20, Farokhmanesh drained “The Shot,” a late three-pointer to secure the 69-67 win over top-seeded Kansas University in the NCAA tournament. The Panthers made it to the Sweet Sixteen before coming up short in a 59-52 loss against Michigan State. Farokhmanesh plans to compete professionally in Germany starting in late August.
The six Kirkwood Athletics teams have distinguished records for many years. Kirkwood women’s basketball team is currently on their fourth consecutive (sixth overall) NJCAA Division II National Tournament Title, with numerous other conference championships since the 1980s. Recently the NJCAA and ICCAC recognized 26 Kirkwood student-athletes for their academic accomplishments. The Eagles have combined for a total of eight NJCAA Division II national championships and 55 Region XI titles.