Kent State University
MAC Championship
Flashes Win 23rd MAC Title
4/30/2016 4:54:00 PM | Men's Golf
SYLVANIA, Ohio – For the seventh time in the last eight years, Kent State held up a Mid-American Conference Championships trophy Saturday at Highland Meadows Golf Club. Behind a group effort, the Golden Flashes won the tournament by 20 strokes.
Tying for the best score of the day at 4-over, the Flashes picked up five more strokes on second place Eastern Michigan. With a 16-over, 1,152, Kent State claimed its MAC-leading 23rd program title.
"We played smart and Kent State depth was really on display this week," Head Coach Herb Page said. "I know it's cliché to say…but it really was a team effort. The scores may not stand out, but to shoot even par in a round on this course is awesome. This week was a culmination of the improvement we've shown this spring."
Sophomore Ian Holt (Stow, Ohio) continued his stretch of consistency, shooting a 1-over 72 on Sunday and finished tied for second with a 3-over, 287. Down the final stretch, Holt birdied the 15th and 17th hole.
The 17th hole continued to be kind to the Flashes as Chase Johnson (Barberton, Ohio), Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ontario) and Bjarki Petursson (Borgarnes, Iceland) joined Holt with birdies.
"It's a par five and our length really showed up that hole," Page said. "Chase reached the green with a 4-iron and Bjarki got on with a 3-iron.
Johnson notched the best day for the Flashes with an even par 71. Birdies on the final two holes moved him into a tie for fifth place. After the tournament, Johnson was named MAC Player of the Year. He and Holt each earned spots on the All-MAC First Team.
"Chase was very deserving of the award," Page said. "He's had a phenomenal year and had another great week. There's a lot of good golfers in this conference and I think Ian Holt is right up there with Chase as one of the best."
The pleasant surprise of the weekend came from Petursson, who finished the tournament tied for seventh, one stroke behind Johnson at 5-over. He birdied three holes on Saturday with 13 pars.
"Bjarki was the star of the week for us," Page said. "This week not only gave him confidence, but gives our team confidence, knowing we have so many weapons."
Whalen shot 2-under on the back nine, making major contributions to the team title in his last two rounds.
"Northern Illinois did really well from the 11th to the 13th hole and got the lead down to single digits," Page said. "Then in a matter of two minutes, Josh birdied 14 and Bjarki birdied 13. That really steadied the ship and we eventually got the lead up to 20."
Page was named MAC Coach of the Year, while Gisli Sveinbergsson (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland) was named MAC Freshman of the Year. Sveinbergsson also claimed All-MAC Second Team honors.
"Gisli played every tournament for us this year," Page said. "We don't talk much about individual awards, but he was very deserving of this."
The Golden Flashes await the NCAA Regional selection show on Thursday to find out where they will compete next.
"We're playing our best golf of the year right now and we will feel good about wherever we go," Page said.
Players Mentioned
