Kent State Welcomes Three New Flashes For 22-23 Season
5/24/2022 12:09:00 PM | Women's Golf
KENT, OHIO... The Kent State women's golf team will welcome a trio of new student-athletes in Berta Sanchez, Blanca Yague-Cuadros, and Leon Takagi for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
"We are excited that Berta, Blanca, and Leon have decided to join our program," Flashes head coach Casey VanDamme said. "Their discipline, work ethic, and desire to be great, make them a perfect fit for our program. All three come in with high expectations, and we look forward to helping them accomplish those goals."
Berta Sanchez: Barcelona, Spain
Sanchez will join the Flashes on the heels of a historic season at Jacksonville State after becoming just the second Gamecock in program history to compete at regionals as an individual, taking 18th in Tallahassee. The junior transfer has built quite the resume as a former Ohio Valley Conference champion, Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
Thoughts from Coach VanDamme: "Berta is a very disciplined student-athlete with extremely high aspirations. Her improvement has been steady and she is on track to achieving her goals. While recruiting her we were impressed with her commitment, determination, and belief in herself. She has won at the college level and we are excited that she chose to be a Golden Flash."
Blanca Yague-Cuadros: Barcelona, Spain
Yague-Cuadros comes to Kent State after a successful junior career in Spain posting seven top-ten finishes and a win at the Golf D'Aro International Cup in 18 events. She was a member of the runner-up Spanish U-18 team and finished 13th in the International Spanish Stroke Play Championship in 2021.
Thoughts from Coach VanDamme: "Blanca is a very good ball striker with a lot of raw talent. During the recruiting process her positive personality, intelligence, and desire to be the best she can be as a student-athlete stood out to us."
Leon Takagi: Tokyo, Japan
Born in New York and raised in Tokyo, Takagi will join the blue and gold as the 23rd ranked ametuer golfer in Japan. Takagi has shown promise from a young age, winning the 2013 US Kids World Championship and helping Yoyogi High School to late season success with a top-ten finish in last year's Japan High School Golf Tournament.
Thoughts from Coach VanDamme: "Leon has an incredible golf resume and is one of the best amateur golfers in Japan. The strength of her game is her ball-striking, and her quiet confidence, drive, and work ethic were evident throughout the recruiting process."
