The Kent State Golden Flashes are the athletic teams that represent Kent State University. The university fields 19 varsity athletic teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level with football competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Kent State is a full member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and has been part of the MAC East division since it was created in 1998. Official school colors are Kent State Blue and Kent State Gold.
Athletic events were held during the very first semester at Kent State in late 1913, with several intramural teams for female students and a limited number of opportunities for male students. Early men's athletic events, in basketball and baseball, were played against local high school, church, and company teams. The first intercollegiate athletic event, a men's basketball game, was held in January 1915 and the baseball team held their first intercollegiate game later that year. A dedicated athletic field was built around 1920 and the school's first gymnasium opened in 1925. Football also debuted as a sport in 1920, followed by wrestling, men's tennis, men's gymnastics, and men's swimming. Joe Kotys, fresh off an appearance in the 1948 Summer Olympics, was dominant for the Golden Flashes in NCAA competition during this period accruing six individual men's gymnastics championships between 1949 and 1951. From 1932 to 1951, Kent State competed as a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference before joining the Mid-American Conference in 1951. The school's first permanent football stadium and a new basketball gym opened in 1950.
Although women's intramural athletics had been part of the university since it was first established, the first women's intercollegiate athletic team was not established until 1964 when the women's gymnastics team, the first women's collegiate gymnastics team in the U.S., began intercollegiate competition after being founded in 1959. Additional women's sports, including swimming, field hockey, basketball, and volleyball, were added as varsity sports in the mid-1970s following the passage and implementation of Title IX. Budget constraints and other factors led to the university dropping swimming, tennis, ice hockey, and men's soccer during the 1980s and 1990s, with ice hockey becoming a club-level sport in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I as part of College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA). The most recent changes occurred in the late 1990s when women's golf and women's soccer were added as varsity sports, followed by the addition of women's lacrosse, which began play in 2019.[3]
Several Kent State athletic teams have enjoyed success in the Mid-American Conference and at the national level over the years and the university has produced individual national champions in both wrestling and track and field. Both the men's and women's golf teams have been the most successful in MAC play having won the most conference titles in MAC history through 2017. The men's golf team has also finished as high as 5th nationally in 2012 to go with 6th and 9th-place finishes, while the women's golf team also claimed a 5th place finish in 2017. Additionally, the men's basketball team made a notable run to the Elite Eight in 2002, the baseball team advanced to the College World Series in 2012, and the softball team qualified for the Women's College World Series in 1990. Kent State also has had high national finishes from the men's indoor and outdoor track and field teams, women's gymnastics, and wrestling. A number of Golden Flashes alumni have gone on to play and coach in both college and major professional sports, such as Jack Lambert, Antonio Gates, Nick Saban, Lou Holtz, Thurmon Munson, and Emmanuel Burriss.
History
Mid-American Conference logo in Kent State's colors. Kent State joined the MAC in 1951.
Athletics at Kent State began shortly after the school was first organized in 1910 and the first classes held in 1912. The school's first sporting event was a men's basketball game in 1913 against Kent High School and the following spring (1914) the baseball team was organized, known as the "Normal Nine". The football team followed in 1920 and held their first game on October 30, a 6–0 loss to Ashland College.[4] Around this same time, the teams became known as the "Silver Foxes" because then-president John Edward McGilvrey raised silver foxes on his farm east of campus. After McGilvrey's controversial firing in 1926, the new administration held a contest to choose a different team name and "Golden Flashes" was chosen, though no significance was included in the name. The first use of "Golden Flashes" occurred in 1927 after it was approved by the student body and faculty athletic committee. The school colors are officially defined as "Kent State blue" and "Kent State gold", which are shades of Navy blue and gold. The original school colors, as chosen by the school's first president John Edward McGilvrey, were orange and blue, believed to have been inspired by the school colors for the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where McGilvrey had been a professor. Gold was also used with blue during the 1920s. A committee formally set the colors as royal blue and gold in 1925.[5] Kent State was a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference from 1932 to 1951 and joined the Mid-American Conference in 1951.
National placements
Although no Kent State team has won a national title in any sport, several Golden Flashes teams have placed highly in NCAA national tournaments. The program has also produced individual national champions in men's and women's track and field, men's gymnastics, and wrestling. Notable national team finishes include:
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.
Kent State sponsors 19 athletic teams at the NCAA Division I level, with eight for men and 11 for women. All current teams compete in the Mid-American Conference. The academic year is divided into three seasons, with the fall sports season typically lasting from August into December, the winter sports season going from late November into March, and the spring sports season beginning in early March and ending in June. Fall sports are football, women's field hockey, women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's golf, and men's and women's cross country. During the winter sports season, Kent State has men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, wrestling, and men's and women's indoor track and field. The spring sports season features men's and women's golf, baseball, women's lacrosse, softball, and men's and women's outdoor track & field. Both men's and women's golf compete in tournaments around the country in both the fall and spring seasons, with MAC and NCAA championship play held in the spring season.[8]
Kent State baseball game at Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium in 2010
The baseball team is Kent State's second oldest sport, though it is the school's oldest intercollegiate team.[4] Formed in 1914, they were known originally as the "Normal Nine" as the school was originally known as Kent State Normal School. The team has enjoyed significant success both in the Mid-American Conference and on the national level and has sent several players to the major leagues over the years. The team's home field is Schoonover Stadium, which opened in 2005 on the site of the team's previous home, Gene Michael Field. The coach is Jeff Duncan, who was hired as coach after the 2013 season. Through the 2023 season, the team has 12 MAC East titles, 16 MAC regular-season titles, 12 MAC tournament titles, and 13 NCAA tournament appearances.[9] In 2012, the team made its first appearances in both the Super Regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament and the College World Series.[10]
MAC East division titles: 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017[9]
January 23, 2008 men's basketball game at the MAC Center.
The men's basketball team, which began play in 1913 and intercollegiate competition in 1914,[4] plays in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center and is Kent State's oldest sport and second-oldest intercollegiate team. After decades of near anonymity, since 1998 the team has been one of the most consistent in the Mid-American Conference with a league record ten straight twenty-win seasons from the 1998–99 season through the 2007–08 season (the previous record was five straight). Kent State was one of only eight NCAA Division I men's basketball programs in the United States to have ten consecutive seasons with twenty or more wins.[13] Kent State also holds the MAC record for consecutive seasons with double-digit conference wins, also for ten consecutive seasons (the previous record was eight straight),[14] and in 2002 finished 17–1 in conference play, setting a MAC record for conference wins in a season. The Flashes amassed thirty victories in the 2001–02 season which culminated in a berth in the NCAA Elite Eight. In the tournament they defeated seventh-seeded Oklahoma State, second-seeded Alabama, and third-seeded Pitt. One of the stars on this team, power forwardAntonio Gates, went on to become a superstar tight end with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. Kent State has made 14 MAC tournament title game appearances (most in conference history) and has won seven (tied for most in the conference), along with six regular-season MAC titles and nine MAC East titles.
MAC East division titles: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015
MAC overall titles: 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015
MAC Tournament titles: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2023
The women's basketball team, which began play during the 1975–1976 season, also plays home games at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. Since 2016, they are coached by Todd Starkey.[15] They have nine MAC East titles, six MAC overall titles, and four MAC tournament titles. In addition, they have six NCAA tournament appearances, the most recent being in 2024, and three WNIT appearances. Kent State has appeared in 12 MAC Tournament championship games, including seven in a row from 1996 through 2002. In fact, the 1996 to 2001 MAC title games all featured Kent State vs. Toledo. In 1998, Kent State became one of only two MAC schools to complete the regular season and tournament with a perfect record, going 18-0 in the regular season and winning the conference tournament.[15]
MAC East division titles: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2017, 2020
MAC overall titles: 1981, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002[16]
MAC Tournament titles: 1981, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2024
The field hockey team plays its home matches at Murphy-Mellis Field, which opened in 2005 and is adjacent to Dix Stadium. The team has won 14 MAC titles, with the most recent in 2016, and has 12 MAC tournament titles and NCAA appearances, the most recent being in 2016.[17] In 2001, Kent State hosted the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship at Dix Stadium, where they played their home games from 1997 through 2004.
The Golden Flashes football team plays in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Home games are played at Dix Stadium on the far eastern edge of the Kent State campus. Since 2022, the head coach is Kenni Burns. Behind Dix Stadium are practice fields, as well as the Kent State Field House, which contains a full indoor football field.
The men's golf team has had success both in the Mid-American Conference and at the national level, winning 28 MAC titles and making 36 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including 23 trips to the championship round and three regional championships, as of 2022.[19] They practice at Windmill Lakes Golf Club in nearby Ravenna, where they occasionally host matches. The program has produced several pro-golfers and in 2003, former Golden Flashes standout Ben Curtis won the British Open in what ABC commentator Mike Tirico called "one of the most amazing stories in the history of the Open Championship" and the "all-time Cinderella story."[20] The team is coached by Jon Mills, a Kent State alum who has been head coach since 2019. He succeeded Herb Page, a KSU alum who coached from 1978 to 2019. Page led the Flashes to 21 of their 24 MAC titles, their three regional titles, and 26 of their 28 trips to NCAA competition. In 2008, he coached Kent State to its highest finish ever at the national level, finishing 6th in the country at the NCAA championship[21] as well as a ninth-place NCAA finish in 2000. Page has been named MAC Coach of the Year 20 times through 2017 and NCAA district IV Coach of the Year eight times.[22]
In mid–2007, Kent State opened the Ferrara and Page Golf Training and Learning Facility located in Franklin Township adjacent to the former Kent State Golf Course. The facility includes a 350-yard outdoor practice range, outdoor practice tees, and outdoor short-game practice areas as well as an indoor putting and chipping area, a video analysis room, and a science and motion putt lab. In addition, the rear of the facility features heated stalls which allow team members to access the driving range even during the winter months to provide year-round training for both the men's and women's teams.[23]
The women's golf team, founded in late 1998, has enjoyed success from its beginning. Every year of the program's existence it has won the Mid-American Conference title and is so far the only school to win the Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Championships, which began in April 1999. Through 2024, they have advanced to NCAA play for 23 consecutive seasons, reaching the championship round in five of them. In 2017 and 2018, the Flashes finished in a tie for fifth nationally, their highest finish to date, after advancing to match play in the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships.[24] while 2008 saw the Flashes win two regular-season tournaments, gain a national ranking of thirteenth, and win their tenth consecutive MAC title by 51 strokes.[25] Their 18th consecutive MAC championship in 2016 set the conference record for most consecutive championships in a sport.[26]
Along with the men's team, they practice at Windmill Lakes Golf Course in Ravenna and the Ferrara and Page Golf Training and Learning Facility in Franklin Township. The team is coached by Casey VanDamme, who began his tenure in August 2021 as the program's fourth head coach.[27]
KSU hosted the 2008 MAC Championships, their fifth time hosting and tenth championship meet victory.
First developed in 1959, the Kent State women's gymnastics team was the first women's gymnastics team at the collegiate level.[28] They began intercollegiate competition in 1964[29] and Mid-American Conference competition in 1981 and have enjoyed consistent success throughout their existence, which includes 11 Mid-American Conference meet championships[30] and 14 regular-season titles. Home meets are held in the MAC Center and the team practices in the MAC Gymnastics Center, an annex on the north side of the building which opened in 1979.[31] The current coach is Brice Biggin, a Kent State alum of the men's gymnastics team who has been coach since 1992. Through the 2013 regular season, he has a record of 342-209 at Kent State. Assistant coaches are Craig Ballard and Josie Angeny.[32]
* the Ohio state championship was held prior to the Mid-American Conference adding gymnastics as a sport. Occasionally the three remaining Division I teams in Ohio will hold the "All-Ohio Meet".[35]
The softball team plays its home games at the Judith K. Devine Diamond, adjacent to Dix Stadium. The team has won six regular season MAC titles and 10 MAC East Division titles, the most recent in 2016, and three MAC Tournament championships, with the most recent in 2017. In 1990, the team went 43–9 en route to their first MAC title, an NCAA regional championship, and a berth in the Women's College World Series. The head coach since August 2015 is Eric Oakley, who came to the program in 2014 as an assistant. The team was established in 1976 and began regular-season play in the Mid-American Conference in 1982 when the MAC added softball as a conference sport.[36][37]
MAC East division titles: 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016
MAC regular-season titles: 1990, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2016
The wrestling team is one of Kent State's oldest sports, going back to its establishment in 1927.[38] It has historically been one of the school's most successful teams, winning multiple conference titles and making a series of appearances in the NCAA tournament, finishing as high as 5th nationally in both 1941 and 1942.[6] For 42 seasons, the team was led by legendary coach Joseph Begala, who compiled a career record of 307-69-5 and the national reputation as the "winningest wrestling coach" coaching Kent State from 1929–1942 and again from 1945 until his retirement in 1971.[39] The team has its home meets at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, its home venue since 1950.[40] More recently, the Flashes have again received national attention appearing in the national top-25 rankings in each of the past three seasons[41] and began the 2008–2009 season ranked 23rd.[42] The wrestling team is currently led by head coach and Kent State alum Jim Andrassy, who has been with the team as a wrestler, graduate assistant, and assistant coach since 1990 and as head coach since 2003.[38] In 2011, Kent State had its first national champion with Dustin Kilgore at the 197-pound class.
The most prominent rival for Kent State is the Akron Zips of the University of Akron, located approximately 10 miles (16km) to the southwest of Kent in Akron, Ohio. The earliest athletic meeting between the two schools is a men's basketball game on February 19, 1916, in Kent, followed by a baseball game later that year, also in Kent. The two schools first met in football in 1923. They were conference rivals as members of the Ohio Athletic Conference from 1932–1936 and again from 1944–1951. Kent State joined the Mid-American Conference in 1951 and Akron joined the MAC in 1992 after transitioning to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in football. The Flashes compete with the Zips in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, women's cross country, women's golf, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, softball, and women's volleyball.
Since 1946, the two football teams have competed for the Wagon Wheel trophy. Through the 2022 meeting, Akron leads the overall series in football 35–28–2, but Kent State leads the series since the Wagon Wheel was contested, 27–24–1. The rivalry in men's basketball is an even closer series with Kent State leading the Zips 83–81 through the 2022–23 season. Since the late 1990s, both teams have been consistent contenders for the MAC overall and MAC Tournament titles, as well as the former MAC East division, so games between the two often have title implications for the regular season or in the tournament. Since Akron's first MAC East title in 1998, the two teams have combined for 11 MAC Tournament championships, 11 MAC regular-season championships, and 16 MAC East division titles.
In 2011, the two schools created the Wagon Wheel Challenge, which counts all athletic contests in the 14 sports where they compete head-to-head. Each sport is worth one point, awarded to the winning team. In sports with multiple meetings per season, whichever team wins the most games takes the full point. If the teams split the season's meetings, each school gets a half-point. For sports that only compete against each other as part of the conference championship meet, such as cross country, golf, and track and field, whichever team finishes higher in the championship meet is awarded the point. Games in the respective conference tournaments can also factor in to which school receives the point if the teams split their regular-season meetings, with the conference tournament meeting acting as a deciding game. Through the 2022–23 season, Kent State leads the challenge series 7–5 having won the first four seasons and the three most recent, with Akron taking five consecutive seasons in between including the shortened 2019–20 season.[51]
Kent State also has a long-standing rivalry with the Bowling Green Falcons from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. The two are sister schools, created together by the Lowry Bill in 1910, and both have been members of the Mid-American Conference since Bowling Green joined in 1952, the season after Kent State. While both schools have primary rivals in their immediate geographic regions, the two football teams play annually for the Anniversary Award and during the 2009–10 season both schools competed for the Centennial Cup to celebrate the respective centennial anniversaries of each school. Points were awarded for every head-to-head matchup in the 14 sports offered at both schools. Kent State won the cup 13.5–7.5.[52]
Outside the Mid-American Conference, Kent State has established rivalries with the two other NCAA Division I programs in Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland State Vikings from Cleveland State University, and the Youngstown State Penguins from Youngstown State University, both members of the Horizon League. The Flashes and Vikings regularly meet in men's and women's basketball, wrestling, and softball, and previously had a long-standing series in baseball until the CSU baseball program was eliminated in 2011. Kent State and Youngstown State play regularly in men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball, and have played periodically in football, where YSU competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Through 2014, the teams have played 10 times with the last meeting being in 2003.[53]
Mascot
Flash, a golden eagle, is the mascot for the Golden Flashes.[54] He was first created in 1985, and the current costume was designed in 1994. The first mascot was a golden retriever named Golden Flasher I, who held the position in 1955 but had to retire after a bone disease. A new retriever named Golden Flasher II was suggested but never became official. It was not until 1968 that Grog, a caveman from the comic B.C. found a place as Kent State's mascot. The mascot was short-lived, however, as it was retired in 1974. In 1971 through 1974, under head coach Don James, a western-themed horse and rider were present at all Dix Stadium games. The horse was an Arabian named Raffstar. Along with Grog, Raffstar and its rider were discontinued in 1974. In 1977, another golden retriever became the mascot, this time named Mac the Flash. The dog held the mascot job until 1979. In 1981 through 1983, the mascot went by many different names, including Freddie Flash, Golden Flash, Flashman, and Captain Flash. All of them were costumed people featuring lightning bolts.[55]
Related Research Articles
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as the "Gator Nation." The Gators compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are consistently ranked among the top college sports programs in the United States. The University of Florida currently fields teams in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, the Ohio buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. The Ohio State women's ice hockey team competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The school colors are scarlet and gray. The university's mascot is Brutus Buckeye. "THE" is the official trademark of the Ohio State University merchandise. Led by its gridiron program, the Buckeyes have the largest overall sports endowment of any campus in North America.
The Temple Owls are the athletic teams that represent Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current athletic director is Arthur Johnson.
The Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, often referred to as the MAC Center and the MACC, is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The building is primarily used as an athletic venue that is home to five Kent State Golden Flashes varsity athletic teams: men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, women's gymnastics, and wrestling. In addition, it hosts commencement exercises, speakers, and concerts throughout the year. The building houses the offices of the Kent State Athletic Department and the coaches of each of the university's varsity athletic teams.
The Winona State Warriors are the athletic teams of Winona State University, located in Winona, Minnesota. They compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Division II for all sports except for women's gymnastics, which competes in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association.
The Golden Hurricane are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Before adopting the name Golden Hurricane in 1922, the University of Tulsa (TU) had many unofficial team nicknames including Kendallites, Presbyterians, Tulsans, Tigers, Orange and Black, and Yellow Jackets. The name "Golden Tornadoes" was chosen by TU football coach H.M. Archer (1922–24) based on new gold and black uniforms and a remark made during practice of the team "roaring through opponents". However, it was quickly discovered that the same name had been chosen in 1917 by Georgia Tech. Archer then substituted the term "hurricane" for "tornado" and a team vote prior to leaving for the game against Texas A&M confirmed the official nickname as "Golden Hurricane".
The Akron Zips are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, United States. The Zips compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East division. Akron sponsors 17 varsity teams across six men's, 10 women's, and one coed NCAA sanctioned sports. The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of competition for college football.
The Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team represents Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The Golden Flashes compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The team was founded in 1913 and played their first intercollegiate game in January 1915. They joined the Mid-American Conference in 1951 and have played in the East division since the MAC went to the divisional format in 1997. Home games are held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, which opened in 1950 and is one of the oldest arenas in college basketball. Rob Senderoff was hired as head coach in 2011, the 24th coach in the program's history.
The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver (DU). They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, and have amassed 35 NCAA titles as of 2024, which is in the top 15 among all schools. Denver is a member of The Summit League for men's and women's basketball, swimming and diving, men's and women's soccer, tennis and golf for both men and women, plus women's volleyball. Other DU teams play in various conferences in the sports that are not sponsored by The Summit. The men's ice hockey team is a charter member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), which formed in 2011 with play beginning in 2013. The lacrosse teams for men and women are members of the Big East Conference; the men began Big East play in the 2013–14 school year, while the women left the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) after the 2016 lacrosse season. Men's and women's skiing compete in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, while the women's gymnastics team became an affiliate of the Big 12 Conference starting with the 2015–16 season.
The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Northern Illinois University (NIU). The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The athletic program is made up of seven men's sports and 10 women's sports. The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
The Kent State Golden Flashes baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The team competes at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Mid-American Conference. The head coach is retired Major League Baseball player Jeff Duncan, who was hired in June 2013.
Laing E. Kennedy is a sports administrator. He previously served as athletic director for Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States since 1994 and previously served as athletic director at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York from 1983 to 1994. In 2005 he began serving as a member of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee in a five-year position, the second representative ever from the Mid-American Conference. He currently resides in Kent, Ohio.
Robert Andrew Senderoff is the head men's basketball coach at Kent State University. The winningest and longest-tenured coach in program history, he has led the Flashes to a Mid-American Conference regular season title as well as NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2023.
The Kent State Golden Flashes men's golf team is an intercollegiate sport at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The program was established in 1934 and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Through the 2021–22 season, the Flashes have won 30 conference titles, which includes two championships won as a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference prior to 1951. The 28 MAC titles are the most men's golf titles in conference history and the most conference titles among any sport at Kent State. In addition to their conference titles, Kent State has made 37 appearances in the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, winning three regional championships and advancing to the championship rounds 24 times. The program's highest national finishes are a tie for 5th in 2012, 6th in 2008, and 9th in 2000. Through 2022, Kent State has produced 27 MAC medalists.
The Kent State Golden Flashes softball team is an intercollegiate athletic team at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The Flashes play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The head coach since the 2016 season is Eric Oakley. Home games are played at the Judith K. Devine Diamond, a 500-seat facility that opened in 1999. The Flashes also have an indoor practice facility, the David and Peggy Edmonds Baseball and Softball Training Facility, which opened in 2014.
The Kent State Golden Flashes women's basketball team represents Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The Golden Flashes compete in the Mid-American Conference and last played in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament in 2024. Founded in 1973 as a club team, the Kent State women's basketball team received varsity status in 1975 and played their first official game in January 1976. Through the 2023–24 season, the Flashes have six total appearances in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament along with four Mid-American Conference tournament championships, five MAC overall titles, and nine MAC East division titles. Home games are held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, which has been the team's home venue since 1977. The head coach is Todd Starkey, who was hired April 19, 2016.
The 2016–17 Kent State Golden Flashes men's basketball team represented Kent State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Flashes, led by sixth year head coach Rob Senderoff, played their home games at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, also known as the MAC Center, as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. Kent State finished the regular season 22–14, 10–8 in MAC play to finish fourth in the MAC East division. As the No. 6 seed in the MAC tournament, the Flashes defeated Central Michigan, Buffalo, Ohio, and Akron to win the tournament for the first time since 2008. As a result, the Flashes received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 14 seed in the South region. In the first round, they lost to UCLA.
The Kent State Golden Flashes women's golf team is an intercollegiate sport at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The program was established in 1998 and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I level as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Through the 2022–23 season, the Flashes have won 25 conference titles, all consecutively. Kent State is the only school to win the Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Championships, and has had team members win individual medalist honors in 20 of those years. The 25 consecutive MAC titles are a conference record for consecutive titles in any sport. In addition to their conference titles, Kent State has made 22 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships, winning one regional title, advancing to the championship round seven times, and to the final match play round twice. The program's highest national finish is a tie for 5th in 2017 and 2018.
↑ Shriver, Phillip (1960). The Years of Youth. Kent State University Press. pp.47, 75.
1 2 Carducci, David (2008-06-03). "KSU golfers make history". Record-Courier. Record Publishing. Retrieved 2008-06-07.NCAA lists men's basketball's appearance in the Elite Eight as a tie for 5th place.
↑ The Kent State Tradition. Kent State University. 2006. p.18.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
↑ Kent State Athletics Communications (8 October 2009). "Gymnastics Announces 2010 Schedule". KentStateSports.com. Kent State University. Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
↑ The M.A.C Center. Kent State University. 2006. p.22.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
1 2 Kent State Athletics Communications (2006-09-26). "Jim Andrassy". www.KentStateSports.com. Kent State University. Retrieved 2008-06-21.[dead link]
↑ Hostetler, Jane (1980-04-15). "Joseph W. Begala, Papers, 1914-1977". Kent State Special Collections and Archives. Kent State University. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
↑ Kent State Athletics Communications (2008-01-16). "Flashes Are In Top-25". www.KentStateSports.com. Kent State University. Retrieved 2008-06-21.[dead link]
↑ Kent State Athletics Communications (19 February 2009). "THEY DID IT!!!". www.KentStateSports.com. Kent State Athletics University. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
↑ "History and Records"(PDF). 2008–09 Kent State Wrestling Media Guide. Kent State University. 2008. p.29. Retrieved 2009-03-01.[dead link]
↑ Reedy, Joe (April 6, 1994). "Two teams face the ax". Daily Kent Stater. Vol.LXXIV, no.42. pp.1, 8. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
