While most Kent State students head home for the summer, many Kent State student-athletes competed in a variety of games, playoffs, tournaments and even national competitions.

Baseball

In May, the Flashes beat Akron to win the Mid-American Conference Tournament, finishing Jeff Duncan’s first season as head coach with a 36-23 record. The win gave KSU an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals. Starting pitcher Michael Clark tossed 6.2 shutout innings to pick up the 3-0 win. Junior pitcher Brian Clark, redshirt senior center fielder Jon Wilson and sophomore infielder Zarley Zalewski were named to the All-MAC Tournament Team.

In the NCAA regional, Kent State dropped its opening game 0-5 to No. 1 host Louisville. But the next day, the Flashes had a two-run lead over No. 2 Kentucky going into the ninth inning. The Wildcats rallied to score four runs in the ninth to end the Flashes’ season.

Zalewski and shortstop Alex Miklos were named to the 2014 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Mideast Region First Team. Brian Clark, redshirt junior Eric Dorsch and Miklos earned Academic All-MAC accolades, while redshirt sophomore Tim Faix, junior Sawyer Polen and junior Jeff Revesz received honorable mention.

Dorsch was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 15th round and redshirt junior John Fasola by the Texas Rangers in the 31st. Both Dorsch and Fasola were picked on the final day of the MLB’s First Year Draft. Pitcher Brian Clark was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the MLB’s First Year Player’s Draft with the 258th overall pick in the ninth round.

Softball

Freshman infielder Maddy Grimm was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Mideast Region Third Team. Grimm was selected to the all-region team as a third baseman, which is where she started 36 of 45 games this past season.

Grimm, junior pitcher Emma Johnson and junior outfielder Kim Kirkpatrick were named to the College All-Stars team that played an exhibition game against the USA’s Softball Women’s National Team June 17. In that game, Johnson lasted 5.1 innings while allowing just one earned run on six hits with two punchouts and a walk. Kirkpatrick started in left field and recorded a stolen base, and Grimm started at third base and collected five putouts defensively.

Senior Jessacca Gironda, Johnson, Kirkpatrick and junior Dani Ramos were among 22 student –athletes selected to the 2014 Softball Academic All-MAC Team.

Track and field

The Kent State women’s track team won the 2014 MAC Outdoor Championship for the fourth straight year. The men’s team finished third behind Akron (second place) and Eastern Michigan.

Sophomore high jumper and triple jumper Dior Delophont and sophomore pole vaulter Jesse Oxley were named to the Capital One Academic All-District Five First Team, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Junior Matthias Tayala was named the 2014 Great Lakes Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Track coach Bill Lawson was named Great Lakes Region Women’s Coach of the Year. Tayala was crowned NCAA Division 1 National Champion in the hammer throw with a heave of 73.57 meters (236 feet, 10 inches).

Sophomore Danniel Thomas finished second in the discus at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., at 57.11 meters. Senior Joh’Vonnie Mosely placed 23rd with a throw of 46.28 meters. Both Tayala and Thomas were named First Team All-Americans.

Kent State had eight student-athletes selected to the 2014 Outdoor Academic All-American Conference Teams, and they are Delophont, junior Roseanne Erikson, senior Page Foster, senior Erica Hutson and Thomas, junior Miles Dunlap, senior Andrew Goodwin and Oxley.

Men’s golf

At the NCAA Sugar Grove Regional in Sugar Grove, Ill., senior Tyler Pendrith tied for third place to earn the right to compete in the men’s golf national championship at Prairie Dunes in Kansas. He tied for 69th place at nationals.

At the conclusion of the golf season, seniors Corey Conners and Pendrith were selected to the 2014 Men’s Golf All-MAC Team. This was Conners’s third Academic All-MAC selection and Pendrith’s second consecutive Academic All-MAC accolade.

Women’s golf

Freshman Wad Phaewchimplee became the second Kent State women’s golfer in school history to an NCAA regional, finishing the event Stillwater, Okla., seven-under par.

The Thai native ended her first season with a 28th-place finish at the NCAA Championship in Tulsa, Okla., shooting eight-over par in the four-round tournament. 

Sophomore Joseé Doyon, junior Natalie Goodson and senior Erin Hawe were recognized for their excellence in athletics and academics and named Academic All-MAC recipients. Both Doyon and Phaewchimplee earned WGCA All-American Scholars honors.

Richie Mulhall is the fall 2014 sports editor of The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].