Fall sports take home postseason honors

Stephen Means
December 7, 2016

Kent State’s athletic program has seen a multitude of student athletes receive postseason honors for both their performances as a student and an athlete throughout the fall semester.

Junior Ines Delpech became the 11th player in Kent State field hockey history to be named an Longstreth/NFHCA All-American when she received third team honors. Delph helped the Flashes to a 14-7 record, including a 6-0 conference record and a Mid-American Conference championship. She, along with senior Madison Thompson, earned All-Region honors.

Both were two of eight players named to the Academic All-MAC team. The field hockey team won the MAC for the third straight season and eventually lost to No. 19 American University, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Flashes’ soccer team saw four players named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Regions team. Senior Jenna Hellstrom — who was also the first player in program history to be named an All-American — was named first team, and senior Abbie Lawson was named second team.

Redshirt junior Donavan Capehart and sophomore Ashleah McDonald were named to third team. Hellstrom was also named MAC Offensive Player of the Year and first team MAC All-Tournament team.

The soccer team finished the season with a program record 15-3-2 (8-1-2 MAC), including a 13-game unbeaten streak, winning both the regular season and tournament conference championship.

They saw their season of to an end in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a 3-0 loss to No. 21 Northwestern University.

On the football field, four Flashes took home All-MAC honors. Seniors Terence Waugh and Najee Murray were named first team All-MAC, while junior Jerrell Foster earned second team honors.

Junior Jon Cunningham was named to third team. Senior Nick Cuthbert was one of three linebacker selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team with a 3.97 grade point average. The football team finished the year at 3-9 (2-6 MAC).

Kent State’s volleyball team saw eight of its players earn academic All-MAC honors. Senior Drew Norberg, juniors Kelsey Bittinger, Challen Geraghty, Amber Gerdeman and Brittney Kakscht; sophomores Sam Jones and Lexi Mantas and redshirt freshman Darby Connors were each among 78 student-athletes to receive the honor.

The Flashes finished the year at 15-15 (8-8 MAC) and lost to the University of Toledo in the first round of the conference tournament.

Stephen Means is the sports editor, contact him at [email protected].