Kent State University
Mid-American Conference Championships
Flashes Set Out in Search of 24th Straight MAC Title in Kalamazoo
4/20/2023 7:13:00 PM | Women's Golf
Kalamazoo, MICH… The Kent State women's golf team will look to preserve their absurd streak of perfection this weekend as the Flashes look to hoist the MAC Championship trophy for a 24th straight season.
"Everybody is ready to go and the team is very excited to get things underway," KSU head coach Casey VanDamme said. "The postseason is what we work for every year and it's finally here."
In the 23-year history of the event dating back to 1999, Kent State is the only team to ever win the MAC, successfully defending their crown in each of the last 22 campaigns.
This year's Flashes picked up right where last year's squad left off, collecting a team win at the Sunflower Invitational this fall, and posting four top four finishes, with two in each semester of their season.
The lineup that will take to the links in Bronco country this weekend will boast a great deal of both talent and experience, led by former All-MAC first-team selection Mayka Hoogeboom, former All-MAC second-team selection Noramol Nuchsila, and reigning MAC Freshman of the Year Jennifer Gu.
This will be the first time that the Flashes have seen any of their fellow MAC schools in action this year, with NIU appearing to be their primary challenger. The Huskies boast five top four finishes of their own this season, thanks in large part to last year's individual MAC champion in Jasmine Ly.
Despite facing a real challenge once again this season, the Flashes remain committed to keeping their focus within and playing their game, two things that have served them well throughout the 2022-23 season.
"The unique thing about golf is that we don't get to play defense and we don't worry too much about what other teams are doing," VanDamme said. "Our ladies do a good job of controlling the things that we can control and we'll be focused on ourselves again this weekend. We don't feel any extra pressure at all."
This course should also provide all teams participating with a unique challenge, and with weather on the horizon, the Flashes breadth of experience in different conditions and on different courses should serve them well again this weekend.
"This course has a lot of terrain changes and uneven lies," VanDamme said. "Some of our full swings haven't been the tightest but we're ultimately working on being the best version of ourselves in our mental game and in our course management game."
The 2023 MAC Championships are set to get underway with a 9:30 eastern tee time on Friday, and the Flashes will be paired with Northern Illinois and Toledo for the opening round.
For more information and to follow along live, head on over to GolfStat.com.
Tournament Information
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Course: Kalamazoo Country Club
Dates: April 21-23
Distance: Par 72 - 6011 Yards
The Field
Kent State
Akron
Ball State
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Northern Illinois
Ohio
Toledo
Western Michigan
The Lineup
Mayka Hoogeboom
Noramol Nuchsila
Jennifer Gu
Leon Takagi
Hester Sicking
Players Mentioned
