The four seniors on the Kent State field hockey team have accumulated a wide variety of awards and accomplishments in their four years with the Flashes — but there is one thing that has eluded them, a Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship.

Between goalie Linz Markwart, forwards Kate Perry and Elizabeth Lahey and midfielder Liz Fettrow there are three regular-season MAC championships. The group of seniors has also accumulated seven shutouts, 12 game-winning goals, nine MAC Player of the Week awards, two all-MAC regular season selections, three all-MAC tourney selections and three academic all-MAC selections.

Lahey said that Kent State has already let one championship game slip away from them in 2004.

“We played Louisville our sophomore year in the MAC championship,” Lahey said. “We were up 2-0 and fell apart. I’d like to have that game back.”

Perry, who leads the MAC with 31 points and 12 goals, said that winning this year’s conference tournament is the way the group wants to end their careers.

“The MAC tournament is the most important thing at the moment,” Perry said. “We want to finish strong and end on a positive note.”

While Lahey and Perry are focused on the games ahead of them but reflected on some of their favorite memories.

“Freshman year we were playing at Louisville and we needed to win that game to win the MAC regular-season championship, and we won it in double overtime,” Perry said.

“Beating Michigan State will be a good memory,” Lahey said. “That was our first big non-conference win against a real solid team.”

Perry and Lahey said they were happy with how far they have come since their freshman year. Back then, Perry said she felt lost on the field, and Lahey played in one game.

“I have matured as a player over the years,” Perry said. “Freshman year I just ran around like my head was cut off. Now I’m more composed. I’ve grown up, I guess.”

Lahey added to Perry’s thoughts.

The group’s biggest change came this season when the coach who recruited them left and coach Kathleen Schanne was hired.

“They have a different mentality and a different way of presenting things,” Lahey said. “They also have completely different personalities and coaching styles. Personally it causes you to change how you react or handle different coaches.”

Even though the team was in a transition, Perry said that her senior season has turned out to be her best.

“Personally this is my best year,” Perry said. “I’m in the right position, and the chemistry between the forwards is something that never really happened before. We all work together so well that it’s fun to play with them.”

Perry said that it has not hit her yet that this weekend will be her last home game, but she knows what she will miss the most.

“I will definitely miss the team the most,” Perry said. “Our team is crazy. We have so many different personalities. There are so many laughs and good memories.”

Kent State (6-13, 3-6 MAC) will play Central Michigan (10-8, 5-3 MAC) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Murphy Mellis field for the regular season finale. The MAC Tournament starts Thursday in Athens.

Contact field hockey reporter Tyler McIntosh at [email protected].