Flashes Close Out Play At NCAA Championship On High Note
7/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Kent State wrapped up
the 2010 NCAA Women's Golf Championship with a three-over par 291
— the lowest round ever among the Flashes' four NCAA
Championship appearances and a mark bested by just six other
schools Friday — en route finishing in 22nd place at +48
(1,200).
Seventh-ranked Purdue claimed their first national title at
one-over par (1,153), edging No. 3 USC by a single stroke. No. 6
Alabama was third at +5 (1,157) on the par 72, 6,368-yard Dye
Course at the Country Club of Landfall. Kent State meanwhile, was
just a shot out of finishing in a three-way tie for 19th.
Sophomore Mandi Morrow (Kent,
Ohio) turned in the round of the day for the Golden Flashes,
posting a one-under 71, as she improved on her score for the third
consecutive day. Her performance included three birdies and a 35 on
the front nine (Kent State had started on 10) as she became just
the second Kent State player to shoot under par in an NCAA
Championship (Veronique Drouin carded a 70 in the third round in
2001).
Morrow's performance was backed up once again by junior Martina Gavier (Cordoba, Argentina) and
sophomore Mercedes Germino
(Necochea, Argentina), who turned in even-par 72s for the second
consecutive day. Gavier was two-under over her first nine holes,
while Germino was one-under. Germino led the Flashes by tying for
27th overall after coming in at 293 (+5) at the conclusion of the
72-hole event.
Alabama (with three players) was the only other squad in the field
to boast multiple players who recorded rounds of par or better over
the final two days.
Sophomore Shamira Marshall
(Macedonia, Ohio) added a 76 (+4), while junior Sarah Bradley (Cambridge, New Zealand) posted
a 77 (+5). Marshall's round included an eagle on the par-5 sixth
hole when she holed out her third shot from the fairway.
"We had all five players play pretty well today — not bad
for the last round of the NCAA Championship," head coach Mike Morrow said. "The experience of the
whole week will make us a better team and better players. What
we've done over the last two days tells us that we can be a pretty
good team when we get things going."
Oklahoma State's Caroline Hedwall claimed medalist honors at
minus-12 (276) after firing her second consecutive 68. Arizona
State's Jennifer Johnson saw her three-stroke lead disappear after
a final round 73 en route to finishing second at eight-under
(280).
Kent State Individual Scores
T27. Mercedes Germino
76-73-72-72=293
T82. Martina Gavier
80-79-72-72=303
T94. Shamira Marshall
75-79-75-76=305
T104. Sarah Bradley
76-74-81-77=308
T115. Mandi Morrow
85-79-78-71=313
