Golden and Poole Earn Academic All-MAC Recognition
4/8/2019 1:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kent State women's basketball student-athletes Alexa Golden and Ali Poole were named to the 2019 Women's Basketball Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team, the conference office announced on Monday (April 8).
The Academic All-MAC Team honors student-athletes who have excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
This is the third consecutive year that Golden has earned Academic All-MAC distinction, while it is the second year in a row that Poole has been honored.
Both players were instrumental in helping Kent State to a 20-win season and the first WNIT win in program history, a 64-59 victory at Green Bay on March 21. They combined for 93 of the Flashes' single-season record 241 three-point field goals.
After earning her criminal justice degree in just two-and-a-half years, Golden is on track to complete a master's degree in sport and recreation management in May. The senior posted career-best averages of 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. A MAC All-Defensive Team selection, Golden ranked 18th in the country with 91 steals. She concluded her career as the only player in Kent State women's basketball history to total 500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals and 100 three-point field goals.
Poole also had her best season in a Flashes uniform, averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She scored in double-figures in 10 games, including a career-high 28 points against Northern Illinois on January 9.
The Golden Flashes have flourished in the classroom under the direction of third-year head coach Todd Starkey. Kent State had a program-record six student-athletes earn Academic All-MAC honors a year ago. Additionally, the Flashes earned three CoSIDA Academic All- America® nods during Starkey's first two seasons. Jordan Korinek was named to the first team in 2018, while Korinek and Larissa Lurken were both second team selections in 2017.
2019 Women's Basketball Academic All-MAC Team (Kent State honorees)
Alexa Golden, Senior, 3.962, Sport and Recreation Management
Ali Poole, Junior, 3.732, Biology
