Kent State University
Mid-American Match Play Challenge
No. 22 Women's Golf Captures First Win of Spring at MAC Match Play Challenge
2/6/2018 7:21:00 PM | Women's Golf
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - Top-seeded Kent State claimed victory in its first women's golf tournament of the spring, beating No. 2-seed Florida Gulf Coast 3-2 on Tuesday to close out the championship bracket of the Mid-American Conference Match Play Challenge hosted by Bowling Green at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.
Including a 5-0 sweep of fifth-seeded Western Michigan in Tuesday morning's semifinals, the Golden Flashes finished the event with a 12-3 record in individual matches.
"Overall, it was a good first week for us, coming away with a win and going 12-3 overall," said Kent State head coach Greg Robertson. "With this being our first tournament, we definitely have some things to work on, but I saw a lot of things that we can move forward with and feel good about."
Pimnipa Panthong, Michaela Finn, and Chloe Salort all finished with perfect 3-0 marks in their matches. Against FGCU in the finals, Panthong won 2-up over Madeline March-Sherk, Finn beat Ashley Kimbrough 3-and-2, and Salort defeated Madison Easterbrook 4-and-2.
"Florida Gulf Coast played well and gave us a good run," said Robertson. "It was good for us to handle that. It was nice to get some good competition and a little bit of pressure as we get into our schedule. I think it will be beneficial for us as we move forward."
The day's sweep of Western Michigan saw Panthong win 1-up over Julia Champion, Finn cruise to a 6-and-4 win over Cameryn Lucia, and Salort beat Jasmine Chee 3-and-2, while Kory Nielsen defeated Megan Watkins 2-and-1 and Karoline Stormo won 4-and-2 over Claire Hernandez. 
"Having three players go undefeated in our matches this week was good to see, but now we get into our stroke play schedule when we go to Puerto Rico," said Robertson. "That's going to be a great field and it will give us a good feel for where we are at this point of the season."
Ranked No. 22 in the nation, Kent State will head to the Lady Puerto Rico Classic Feb. 11-13 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The event is hosted by Purdue.
Players Mentioned
