What a way to start off the the 111th Men's Division I NCAA Championships at kampen Golf Course at Purdue. The Flashes, behind a strong performance from senior David Markle, find themselves six strokes off the lead and tied for fourth place after one round of golf (13 over par 301).

Markle birdied the sixth, seventh, 13th and 17th hole to shoot a 2 under par 70 on the day. He is currently one shot behind the individual lead. Still three rounds to go, but wow what a good start for the Flashes and especially Markle. See for yourself.

It is a pretty slow time of year for Kent State athletics. The baseball and softball teams are now done. As is women’s golf. Although It should be a fun watching the Kent State men’s golf team takes another shot at the NCAA Championships in the next few days.

The Flashes are set for an 8:07 a.m. tee time tomorrow on the 10th hole of Purdue University’s Kampen Course. Kent State is one of just 30 teams vying for the Division I title. It is the first time they have been to the championships since 2004 and 13th trip overall.

The Kent State men’s golf team finished in a tie for 15th place after one round of play in the NCAA Central Regional at the Scarlet Course on the Campus of the Ohio State University.
The Flashes are 18 over par 302 as a team, 12 strokes behind leader Wake Forest (6 over par 290).

Senior David Markle is tied for 17th place in the individual competition. He currently sits four strokes back of leader Brendan Gielow, of Wake Forest. Markle’s first round score is 2 over par 73.

The Flashes begin the second round of the three round tournament early tomorrow teeing off at 8:05 a.m. on the sixth hole.

The top 10 teams and top two individuals will advance to the NCAA Championships May 28-31 at the Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Kent State men’s golf team is set to tee off today at 12:35 as part of the NCAA Central Regional competition at the Ohio State University Scarlet Golf Course. The top 10 teams and two individuals will advance to the NCAA Championships May 28-31 at the Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind.

After coming in second place at the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Flashes received an at-large bid marking the school’s 21st visit to regional competition. Kent State has moved onto the Championship round 12 of those times with the last visit coming in 2004.

This year’s team features a well-balanced mix with two seniors and two freshmen. MAC Golfer of the Year and Freshman of the Year John Hahn leads the team with a 72.4 stroke average.

While playing at the Boilermaker Invitational earlier this year, the site of the Championship round, Hahn tied the third lowest score in school history at 11-under 205 (70-68-67).

Joining Hahn as All-MAC First team selections are Senior David Markle and sophomore David Ludlow. Freshman Brett Cairns was a second team All-MAC selection. Senior Tom Ballinger competed in both the 2005 and 2006 regionals.

The Flashes have five straight top-three finishes and have finished in the top five of nine of the 12 events they have participated in this season.

The Kent State women's golf team should be fairly comfortable heading into this weekend's Mid-American Conference Tournament at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course in Indianapolis. Since the inception of the program 10 years ago, the Flashes have won the title every year.

The Flashes haven't just won nine consecutive titles, they have destroyed the competiton winning by nearly 38 strokes on average.

In the latest Golfstat Division I National Rankings the women's team is ranked 13, while Golfweek ranks a triumvirate of KSU golfers in its top 100. Senior Kira Meixner (35), junior Kirby Dreher (50) and freshman Martina Gavier (88) all made the cut, no pun intended.