Story Courtesy of KSU Media Relations
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Kent State's opening round at the NCAA Central Regional had a bit of a roller coaster feel as the Golden Flashes started slow, then rattled off a string red numbers before struggling a bit over the final 10 holes.
When it was all said and done, the sixth-seeded Flashes carded a +17, 305 to currently stand ninth of 21 teams at the completion of the first round. Ohio State is hosting the event at the par 72, 6,246-yard Scarlet Course.
Sophomore Martina Gavier led the Flashes with a 74 that included three birdies and is tied for 13th. Senior Kirby Dreher posted a workmanlike 76, while senior Maddi Swaney and freshman Mandi Morrow carded rounds of 77 and 78, respectively. Swaney¹s scorecard included an eagle on the par-5 14th when she holed out her third shot from a greenside bunker.
Top-seeded UCLA holds a commanding 11-shot lead on the rest of the field after opening with a four-under, 284. A pair of Big Ten schools hold down the next spot, as both Michigan State and Purdue turned in a 295 (+7).
The Bruins also boast the top three individuals as Stephanie Kono and Maria Jose Uribe are tied for the individual lead after matching 69s, while Sydnee Michaels is just a shot back, tied with Wake Forest¹s Natalie Sheary for third.
Kent State will tee off at 1:20 p.m. in Friday¹s second round. The low eight teams at the conclusion of play Saturday will advance to the NCAA Championship May 19-22 in Owings Mills, Md.
Hole-by-hole live scoring for the event can be found www.golfstat.com.
Team Scores
1. UCLA 284
T2. Michigan State 296
T2. Purdue 295
4. Oklahoma State 297
5. Wake Forest 298
6. New Mexico 301
T7. Georgia State 303
T7. UT-Chattanooga 303
9. Kent State 305
10. Ohio State 306
T11. Kentucky 308
T11. Washington 308
T11. Louisville 308
14. Stanford 310
15. Illinois State 311
T16. N.C. State 312
T16. Michigan 312
18. Notre Dame 316
19. Harvard 318
20. Murray State 322
21. Fairleigh Dickinson 328
Individual Leaders
T1. Stephanie Kono, UCLA 69
T1. Maria Jose Uribe, UCLA 69
T3. Sydnee Michaels, UCLA 70
T3. Natalie Sheary, Wake Forest 70
T5. Jodi Ewart, New Mexico 71
T5. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, Purdue 71
T5. Stacey Miller, Illinois State, 71
Kent State Individuals
T13. Martina Gavier 74
T30. Kirby Dreher 76
T47. Maddi Swaney 77
T58. Mandi Morrow 78
T79. Mercedes Germino 80