Kent State University
NCAA Regional
Flashes Prepare for Norman Regional in Oklahoma
5/15/2022 2:28:00 PM | Men's Golf
NORMAN OKL.... The Kent State men's golf team will tee off at the Norman Regional on Monday, as the Flashes look to punch one of five tickets to this year's NCAA Championships later this month.
"The guys are definitely excited but we're still focusing on playing our normal golf," Kent State head coach Jon Mills said. We don't feel like we have to do anything special to compete here."
While the Flashes enter this regional as one of just five conference winners, the team will face some stiff competition including nine top-50 schools headlined by #1 Oklahoma, #7 Texas and #18 Auburn.
This year's Kent State team will tee things off with three All-MAC first team selections in it's lineup including individual MAC Champion Josh Gilkison and MAC Golfer of the Year Chris Vandette.
"I think the experience of our veterans will certainly help us this week," Mills said. "Cade, Josh and Chris all have experience here at regionals and I know those guys learned a lot from last year."
Joining that trio in the lineup will be MAC Freshman of the Year Jordan Gilkison and Bryce Reed, who stepped up and played exceptionally well in the Flashes comeback win at the MAC Championships.
While this regional does feature some of the best talent in the country, Kent State will need to tune out the noise play within their game throughout the week.
"It's very important that we focus on controlling what we can control," Mills said. "We can't afford to get caught up worrying about who else is competing."
The Flashes will be paired with Kansas State and UT Martin for the opening round with a tee time of 9:25 AM on Monday.
Live scoring throughout the week can be found on GolfStat.com
Tournament Information
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
Course: Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club
Dates: May 16-18
Distance: Par 72 (7,452 yards)
The Field (Ordered by seed)
1. #1 Oklahoma*
2. #7 Texas
3. #18 Auburn
4. #24 South Carolina
5. #25 Ole Miss
6. #36 Louisville
7. #37 Missouri
8. #48 San Diego State*
9. #50 Utah
10. Kent State*
11. Kansas State
12. UT Martin*
13. Rider*
Conference winners denoted by *
Top five advance to NCAA Championships
Individuals
1. Johnny Keefer, Baylor
2. Vicente Marzilio, North Texas
3. Mac McClear, Iowa
4. Justin Biwer, Colorado
5. Evan Davis, Belmont
6. Ronan Kleu, Iowa
7. Paul Conroy, Chattanooga
8. Sam Murphy, Louisiana Tech
9. Nick Wolf, Middle Tennessee
10. Michael Barnard, Middle Tennessee
The Lineup
Chris Vandette
Josh Gilkison
Jordan Gilkison
Cade Breitenstine
Bryce Reed
Players Mentioned
