Consistency was key in the Flashes’ first meet of the season, as every Kent State golfer finished in the top 30.

No. 13 Kent State took home a five-shot victory in its first match.

“Overall, they played very solid,” coach Greg Robertson said. ”Getting the season started with a win was a good feeling.”

Junior Marissa Kirkwood was the top scorer for Kent State, tying for sixth place with a score of 214. She scored 71 in the first and second rounds and 72 in the third.

“It was an all-around solid tournament and a great start to the season,” Kirkwood said. “This tournament has given me confidence moving forward, which in golf is a huge thing. It also shows me what areas I need to work on before the next event so that I can make a plan to make sure that I am prepared to tee it up.”

Senior Michaela Finn tied for 10th with a score of 215. She scored 72 in the first round, 68 in the second and 75 in the third.

“I’m confident heading to Tennessee,” Finn said. “It’s a course I’ve shot very low at before, so there is definitely a lot of birdie opportunities out there. I feel good about it. I see a lot of potential, and I know our team can do better than we did in the last tournament, but it was good to start off with a win.”

Junior Pimnipa Panthong, who was named a Golfweek preseason All-American, tied for 19th with an overall score of 218. She shot a 72 and a 76 in the first two rounds, but made five birdies and shot two-under-par 70 on the last day.

“Pimnipa played well,” Robertson said. “She got off to a rough start, but finished strong on Tuesday.”

Kent State finished with a score of 858 for the tournament, beating out Pepperdine by eight points, to take home the win.

“Every golfer feels they could have saved a couple shots throughout the tournament.” Kirkwood said. “That’s how we will gain experience going into the next meet. I don’t wish anything went differently.”

The team tees off next Monday and Tuesday for the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee, at a time that has yet to be announced.

Maddie Dolin is a sports reporter. Contact her at [email protected].