Here are the highlights

of what the Flashes accomplished while you were sipping margaritas on the beach.

Basketball

Geno Ford signs two-year extension

After leading the men’s basketball

team to a regular-season Mid-

American Conference Championship

and earning MAC Coach of

the Year honors, Kent State coach

Geno Ford signed a two-year contract

extension that will keep him

with the team through the 2014-

2015 season.

The new contract gives Ford a

base salary of $300,000 per year.

The Flashes finished 24-10 this

season, a record that ranks them

fourth in Kent State history. Kent

State also advanced to the second

round of the National Invitation

Tournament with a 75-74

home victory over Tulsa, the

team’s first postseason victory

in eight years. The NIT win

made Ford one of only three

Kent State coaches to ever earn

a postseason victory.

Director of Athletics Laing

Kennedy, who is set to retire in

June, said in a press release that

the decision was made “in consultation

with (future Director

of Athletics) Joel Nielsen.”

— Cody Francis

Track and Field

Teams split to start outdoor season

Kent State’s track and field

teams made their outdoor season

debuts by splitting up the

runners and throwers in Cincinnati

and North Carolina.

Not operating on all cylinders

yet, the teams did not allow every

athlete to travel this weekend.

Even without all of its athletes, including no throwers, the women’s runners finished second at the Oliver Nikoloff Invite in Cincinnati. Senior Rachel Crafton and sophomore Paige Wray took first and second in the 400-meter hurdlies, while sophomore Kim Preston and freshman Domenica Rossi took first and

second in the pole vault. The

women’s 4×400 relay team

also took first-place honors.

For the men, freshman

Steve Fischer placed second

in the 800 meters with a time

of 1:54.89. Freshman Kenneth

Agee finished third in

the high jump with a leap of

6’-7.75”.

— Cody Francis

Football

Spring practice begins today

The Kent State football team

will have the first of its 15 spring

practices today at 9 a.m.

The Flashes are scheduled to

hold their practices in the next

few weeks, culminating in the

annual spring game on April 30.

After going 5-7 overall and 4-4

in the MAC last season, the Flashes

welcome back sixth-year running

back Eugene Jarvis. Jarvis,

the second-leading returning

rusher in the nation, was awarded

a sixth year of eligibility by the

NCAA after he was sidelined in

Kent State’s second game last year

with a lacerated kidney against

Boston College. Kent State coach

Doug Martin said Jarvis will be

eased into full-contact drills.

— Cody Francis

Gymnastics

Flashes finish second at MAC Championships

The beam came back to haunt

Kent State yet again this season,

this time at the conference championships

where the Flashes finished

in second place with a score

of 195.025 as Central Michigan

took home the MAC title with

196.000.

Entering the tournament as the

regular season MAC champions,

the Flashes were forced to count

a fall on beam with both sophomore

Kristina Arcury and junior

Christine Abou-Mitri falling in

their routines. Kent State was 6-0

in conference meets during the

regular season.

“You can’t win every year,”

Kent State coach Brice Biggin

said. “Certainly the kids hearts

were there. We lost to a very good

team. Central has improved a lot,

and they’re going to give teams a

run for their money at regionals

like we will. We’ve fought all year

long, and I’m proud of them.”

— Katie Corbut

To read the full article, click here.

Women’s Golf

Gavier provides bright side for Kent State

While her team finished 17th out of 23 teams at the Liz Murphy Collegiate Classic last weekend, Kent State junior Martina Gavier was one of only seven golfers to shoot a subpar round on the final day of the tournament, moving from 14th to fourth place after shooting a 1-under 71.

The Flashes went into the final day of the tournament ranked 11th of a 23-team field, but fell six spots despite Gavier’s career-best performance.

Eleven of the nation’s top 20 teams played in the tournament, with No. 6 Duke cruising to win the tournament by 21 strokes.

­— Cody Francis

Baseball

Flashes sweep Western Michigan to start conference play 4-2

The Kent State baseball team (14-15) went 1-2 on a road trip last weekend to Toledo, opening conference play in sloppy form. However, the Flashes were able to bounce back this weekend to sweep Western Michigan in a three-game homestand to boost its MAC record to 4-2.

The sweep of Western Michigan included a 16-15 victory on Saturday where the Flashes had to overcome a nine-run comeback by the Broncos in the ninth inning.

Kent State was leading 15-6 heading into the ninth when Western Michigan scored nine runs on seven walks to tie the game. But Kent State senior catcher Cory Hindel lined a walk-off home run over the left field wall to seal the victory for the Flashes.

Sophomore Jimmy Rider leads Kent State’s offense with a .370 batting average and 47 hits in 29 games. Senior Anthony Gallas has seven home runs and 33 RBIs to lead the Flashes, who also split a two-game series with Penn State March 30-31.

— Cody Francis

Softball

Good road play at invitational lifts Flashes to .500 record

The Kent State softball team (15-15, 2-1 MAC) traveled to Coastal Carolina last weekend with a record of 8-11.

Before the trip, Kent State had not been above .500 all season. That all changed as the Flashes went 5-1 in the Coastal Carolina Invitational, including an 11-inning victory against the host Chanticleers.

Sophomore Clare Sullivan came in to pinch hit in the 11th and hit a three-run home run to vault Kent State over Coastal Carolina and the .500 mark. It was Sullivan’s first home run of her career.

The Flashes returned home to drop two games to Penn State on March 31, then split two with Northern Illinois on April 2 and defeated Western Michigan on April 4. The Flashes’ second game with the Broncos was postponed by rain.

— Cody Francis

Men’s Golf

Hughes sets records, wins title; Hahn plays big round for Flashes

Sophomore Mackenzie Hughes shined with a first-place finish at the Fireline Towson Invitational last weekend, shooting a course and tournament record 6-under-par 66 as the Flashes finished runner-up in a 19-team field.

Hughes’ career-best performance led to him being named the MAC’s Golfer of the Week and Male Scholar Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.

Junior Brett Cairns and freshman Kevin Miller tied for sixth, while junior John Hahn and freshman Isaac Charette tied for 16th place at the invitational.

In the team’s most recent action at the Augusta State Invitational that concluded yesterday, the Flashes placed 11th of 18 teams who teed off at Forest Hills Golf Club.

Hahn set the bar high on day one by shooting a 7-under-par 65, which is the lowest round for a Kent State golfer since Ryan Yip’s 63 in 2005. Hahn rounded out the tournament tying Minnesota’s Ben Pisani for 24th place with a 213.

Cairns, alongside fellow junior J.P. Paiement tied for 35th with Coastal Carolina’s Sam Lyons with 216 strokes. Hughes tied for 65th with 222 strokes and Miller tied for 73rd place with 224.

— Rachel Jones

To read the full article, click here.

Wrestling

Danny Mitcheff earns MAC Wrestler of the Year honors

As if he did not have enough titles and awards in his career, Danny Mitcheff can add Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Year to his collection.

The coaches of the MAC voted Tuesday, capping off a memorable senior season for Mitcheff (34-6), who also set the record for most career victories in program history (131). Mitcheff said his coach broke the news subtly.

“(Kent State coach Jim Andrassy) texted me, and he said ‘Take a look at the Web site,” Mitcheff said, laughing.

Mitcheff earned All-American status at the NCAA Championships with a sixth place finish in March. At the MAC Championships, he won the 133-pound weight class and earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler for the second year in a row.

­­— Rachel Jones

To read the full article, click here.