For their efforts in Kent State's 28-17 win over Akron, freshman defensive lineman Roosevelt Nix and junior punter Matt Rinehart have been named MAC East players of the week.

Defensive Player of the Week: Kent State DL Roosevelt Nix

Freshman defensive lineman Roosevelt Nix (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) continued his dominating play along the defensive line, recording five tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pair of hurries in a 28-17 win over Akron. With the Flashes holding on to a slim four-point lead with just under four minutes remaining in the game, Nix sacked Zips QB Patrick Nicely and forced a fumble that Kent State fell on in the end zone for a touchdown. Meanwhile, his 3.5 sacks tied for the third-most in school history. His 6.5 sacks and 10.0 TFL on the year both rank in the top 10 in the nation.


Special Teams Player of the Week: Kent State P Matt Rinehart

Junior punter Matt Rinehart (Dover, Ohio) had a solid day averaging 41.2 yards on nine punts in a 28-17 win over Akron. More importantly, six of the nine kicks were downed inside the 20 yard line, including a season-long 64-yard blast that went out of bounds at the two yard line. Three plays later, the defense picked off a pass and went 12 yards into the end zone for Kent State's opening touchdown.
This post was edited on 10/11 10:59 AM by stevehare Rivals

Click the link below for photos from Kent State's 28-17 win over Akron on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010.
Sorry for the confusion on the link...the correct one is listed.

This post was edited on 10/11 2:40 PM by stevehare Rivals

Photo Gallery

KENT, Ohio ? Kent State is holding a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 12 to make a special announcement regarding former Golden Flashes standout Joshua Cribbs.

Kent State Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen and Cribbs will both be available for comment that day. The announcement pertains to events surrounding Joshua Cribbs Day, which is set for Saturday, Oct. 30 when the Flashes host Ball State.

Kent State hosts rival Akron this Saturday (Oct. 9) for Homecoming at 3:30 p.m. in Dix Stadium.

For Immediate Release?October 6, 2010

Cleveland, Ohio ? The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced today the presentation of the Cartwright Award to Kent State University for its program excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship during the 2009-10 school year. The Cartwright Award will be presented to Kent State this Saturday, Oct. 9 during their home football contest against Akron at Dix Stadium.

“Everyone associated with the MAC is proud of the many student-athletes that compete in all of our universities and each of our 23 championship sports,” said Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the MAC. “MAC member institutions value excellence in the classroom, on the field of competition and in society. I commend Kent State University for their recognition by its peers. This is indeed a high honor.”

The Cartwright Award is an institutional award presented annually to one university in the MAC. A committee with representation from all 12 institutions selected the Cartwright Award winner from nominations submitted based upon the criteria of excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship.

“This award is about excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship, and I’m so proud of our student-athletes who demonstrate Kent State’s excellence in action in the classroom, in sport and in our community,” said Kent State President Lester A. Lefton. “I commend our student-athletes and Kent State’s Athletics Department for a remarkable year as we celebrate our centennial, earning both the Reese and Jacoby Trophies, and now adding the Cartwright Award to our impressive list of achievements.”

The Cartwright Award is named in honor of Dr. Carol A. Cartwright, one of the most highly respected voices in higher education. Dr. Cartwright served as the President of Kent State University from 1991-2006. Following her retirement, Dr. Cartwright served as President of Bowling Green State University on an interim basis beginning in July of 2008, before being named President in 2009. Dr. Cartwright previously was the vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of California at Davis and dean for undergraduate programs and vice provost at The Pennsylvania State University. She has served on the NCAA Board of Directors and is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

“An honor such as the Cartwright Award further illustrates that our coaches, student-athletes and staff members continue to live up to our championship-caliber expectations on the field, in the classroom and in the community,” said Kent State Director of Athletics, Joel Nielsen. “Our entire university community can take pride in this award because without the strong support from President Lefton, the rest of our administration and our outstanding faculty and staff, none of this would be possible.”

Below is a brief summary of the accomplishments by Kent State University in each of the three areas of academic, athletic and citizenship excellence:

Kent State Academic Summary (2009-10):

-Kent State achieved a department GPA of 3.0 for the first time ever and over 50% of the student-athletes maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.

-Kent State produced a pair of Academic All-Americans in Martina Gavier (third team, women’s golf) and Jacquise Terry (second team, football).

-Kent State also had six CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, 33 All-MAC Academic selections, six Honorable Mention All-MAC Academic selections and Kent State student-athletes were recognized 16 times as MAC Scholar-Athletes of the Week.

-Two athletic teams, women’s soccer and softball, received national recognition for their team GPAs, as the softball team’s GPA of 3.43 ranked seventh in the nation, and the women’s soccer team’s GPA of 3.52 ranked eighth in the nation.

-Kent State student-athletes outperform the general student body by 14% in the four-class graduation rate, and the exhausted eligibility graduation rate continues to be 94%.

-Kent State women’s basketball team leads the MAC earning a 100% GSR for the last four years.

-Every Kent State athletic team has an APR (Academic Progress Rate) score above 925, with six teams ranked in the top 30 percent nationally when compared to all other sports, and the baseball and women’s cross country teams were publicly recognized in the NCAA Top 10% of their sports.

-Nine teams improved their APR score from the previous year and five teams earned a perfect 1,000 score last year.

-Kent State led the conference in APR scores with 12 of the 18 teams ranking in the top five in the conference.

Kent State Athletic Summary (2009-10):

-Kent State won both the Reese (top men’s athletic program) and Jacoby (top women’s athletic program) Trophies for the first time in the history of the program.

-Kent State had 10 different programs combine to win 11 MAC championships.

-Men’s cross country claimed its first-ever title, women’s track swept the indoor and outdoor competitions, women’s golf earned its 12th consecutive title, the men’s golf team claimed their 18th championship and baseball rounded out the haul with an amazing run through the postseason bracket that included five victories in three days.

-During the regular season, men’s basketball, field hockey and gymnastics claimed overall titles, while baseball and softball finished as the top teams in the East Division.

-Kent State was the top MAC school in the Directors’ Cup (an indicator of success at the NCAA level) for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons and for the 13th time in the 17 years since the award’s inception.

-Diana Dumitrescu (women’s indoor & outdoor track & field), Dustin Kilgore (wrestling), Danny Mitcheff (wrestling), Anthony Gallas (baseball), John Hahn (men’s golf) and Rachel Miller (field hockey) earned All-America accolades.

-Kent State finished first in the nation in the Excellence in Management Cup, conducted by the Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics at Texas A&M University, the Cup ranks athletic departments in accordance to financial expenditures, rewarding departments that win the most conference and national championships, while at the same time keeping expenditures low.

Kent State Citizenship Summary (2009-10):

-In 2009-10, Kent State student-athletes raised over $30,000 to benefit Akron Children’s Hospital, the American Cancer Society and the United Way.

-Each individual team sponsored its own community service project and spent hundreds of volunteer hours in the Kent community. Service projects ranged from the gymnastics ‘Flip for the Cure’ to baseball’s Diamond Classic for Kids to football’s trips to the Family Child Learning Center.

-The eighth annual JOCK JAMS competition was once again a success, as all athletic teams performed on stage to a sold-out crowd and raised $3,700 for cancer research.

-Thirty-two student-athletes were accepted into the Leadership Academy, a program to train student-athletes on communication techniques, conflict management, media training and valuable information on being a leader on their teams and in life.

-The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) experienced a surge in participation from all athletic teams last year, as meetings topped 40 student-athletes in attendance. Football’s Leneric Muldrow led the committee as president as football student-athletes created a student organization, Uplifting Athletes, and are developing a Lift for Life fundraiser for Spring 2011.

-Career Night for junior and senior student-athletes were reorganized and created a career guide and resume-reviewing process.

-Winning Combination courses were also remodeled, as a one-credit introductory course covering issues relevant to student-athletes, such as money management, nutrition and academics.

-The Greeks vs. Jocks competition was created in an effort to spark a healthy community service competition between Greek Life and Athletics. The first event, ‘Who Can Collect the Most Socks, Greeks or Jocks’ was very successful as over 3,000 pairs of socks were collected for relief efforts in Haiti.

I heard Justin Manns was running around the big fight last week with his shirt off and it was at Justin Green's apartment.

Walsh Jesuit senior baseball player Tim Faix will continue his academic and athletic careers at Kent State, Walsh Jesuit announced this week.

Faix, a left-handed pitcher, is the first Warriors player to commit to a college this season and is the 41st Walsh baseball player in 15 years to commit to a Division I school.

Click a link below for a preview of the Miami RedHawks:

Offense
Defense
Special Teams

Stay tuned for the KSU-Miami match-up and official KSR prediction.

KENT, Ohio ? The Kent State field hockey team is one of only two programs in the country to have wins over two top 10 teams this season. That distinction did not go unnoticed in the latest edition of the Kookaburra/NFCHA Division I National Coaches Poll which ranked the Golden Flashes as the No. 17 team in the country.

The top 20 national ranking is the first for Kent State since the program finished the 2008 season at No. 19. Its the highest ranking for the Golden Flashes since the 2002 team was ranked No. 7 at the end of the year.

Kent State vaulted its way into the top 20 this week on the strength of a 2-0 shutout of No. 5 Michigan State on Friday. Behind a strong defensive effort that included nine saves from senior goalie Caroline Suitch (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood), the Golden Flashes handed MSU its lone loss of the year and shut down and offense that entered the weekend ranked 12th in the country in goals scored per game. On Sunday despite holding a 1-0 lead, KSU wrapped up the weekend with a 2-1 loss to No. 13 Boston U.

The team has been listed under the ‘Also Receiving Votes’ category all season and had earned the 24th most votes in the poll the past two weeks.

Earlier this season Kent State defeated No. 8 Syracuse 2-1 in overtime. The Golden Flashes have a 4-4 overall record including six games against teams ranked in the top 20. KSU’s strength of schedule currently ranks as the 17th toughest in the country while the team’s RPI sits at No. 22.

Kent State returns to action on Saturday when the program completes a six-game home stand by hosting Ball State on Saturday and Miami on Sunday. Both games are slated for a 1:00 pm start.

2010 Kookaburra / NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll (Week of Sept. 21, 2010)
school (record) total points previous week
1. North Carolina (7-0) 1033 1
2. Maryland (7-0) 1014 2
3. Virginia (7-0) 964 3
4. Princeton (5-0) 900 4
5. Connecticut (6-1) 795 6
6. Ohio State (6-2) 738 10
7. Michigan State (8-1) 703 5
8. Wake Forest (6-2) 667 7
9. Syracuse (5-3) 634 8
10. Louisville (6-2) 518 12
11. Boston U. (6-2) 475 13
12. Boston College (6-2) 461 11
13. Duke (4-4) 457 9
14. Penn State (5-2) 358 15
15. American (5-2) 301 18
16. Drexel (3-3) 216 14
17. Kent State (4-4) 158 Unranked
18. Stanford (5-2) 126 16
19. Albany (4-2) 123 19
20. James Madison (3-5) 108 17
Kent State opponents in bold italics

Tickets for the 14th Annual Marathon MAC Football Championship, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 3 at Detroit’s Ford Field, are on-sale today - Tuesday, Sept. 21 through the following outlets ?Ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800.745.3000 and the Ford Field Box Office located at Gate G between 10am - 6pm Monday - Friday.

The 7 pm game, which will match the champions of the Mid-American Conference’s East and West Divisions, will be the seventh hosted by Ford Field since 2004. Ticket prices are all in the lower level: $20 sideline, $15 corner, and $10 end zone.

Last year’s game saw West Division champion Central Michigan defeat Ohio University 20-10 to claim 2009 MAC title and an invitation to the GMAC Bowl, where the Chippewas defeated Troy 44-41 in double-overtime. CMU finished the season ranked No. 23 in the final Associated Press poll, No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

********************************************

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of 11 members of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in six (6) states ? Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. In addition a 13th school ? Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. -- is an affiliate member for football only.

Current MAC schools that hold full membership and the year they joined are -- East Division: University of Akron (1992), Bowling Green State University (1952), University at Buffalo (1998), Kent State University (1951), Miami University (1947), Ohio University (1946). West Division: Ball State University (1973), Central Michigan University (1971), Eastern Michigan University (1971), Northern Illinois University (1975-86, rejoined in 1997), University of Toledo (1950), Western Michigan University (1947). Temple University (2007) competes in the East Division in football only. The conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Here's the story:

Josh Boyle

NEED TO KNOW:

* Eliminated any doubt that Robert Bolden is Penn State's man at the moment. Suggested they might have asked him to do too much against Alabama and that he's done well so far considering the circumstances. He's looked good in practice so far this week, and Joe sees no need to change quarterbacks at this time.

* On Gerald Hodges' injury: "How long he'll be out, I don't know. But he's got a broken (bone)... I imagine, I don't know, I'm not a medical guy, but it's going to be a while. It will be a while. Whether it's four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, I couldn't tell you. But he's got a slight break there (lower left fibula). And he's going to be out for a while."

* Reaffirmed Evan Royster and Stephfon Green's status as Penn State's top two backs. Silas Redd is a "good back" but isn't as ready as the other two to carry the load.

* Believes the offensive line has made progress.

* Said Penn State needs to sure up not only it's tackling, but it's ability to force turnovers, pointing to the big zero the Nittany Lions have posted in that column through the first two games. Also said Penn State needs to be more aggressive.

SHOULD KNOW

* On Punt Coverage: "Well, I think we've got a chance to get a little better coverage. We've used that spread punt years ago. And then we got out of it when Floyd Little ran three back for touchdowns up at Syracuse, before you guys were born. I can still see him running by Joe Bellas right in front of us. So we're back to the three deep guys and the spread and the lineup up front."

* Pointed out that the frequent defensive rotations on Saturday had as much to do with the heat/fatigue as anything else.

* Told that Garry Gilliams hasn't been expected to carry the load at tight end because of his age, thus, he hasn't been doing a whole lot in the offense.

* Said Nick Sukay played well Saturday.

* On Evan Royster's performance so far: "Well, I think the effort's fine. I don't know whether we've really established the kind of running game that Royster would do well in. Royster is a kind of a "pick 'em and spot 'em, give me a crack and I'll go" guy. He's not a guy that's going to run over you. He doesn't have great speed; has good speed. But he's got good instincts. He obviously catches the ball well when we use him as a receiver. We haven't used him yet as a receiver. But I think he's doing all right.

* Complimented Kent State's special teams. Also said the Kent quarterback has a lot of, you guessed it, poise and that the Flashes have a talented linebacker as well. He expects Kent to come in and be tough.

Sparring With The Press

A couple of interesting exchanges with the press today:

* First talking about Evan Royster

Did you notice, were the holes there that the offensive line was making for Royster, did he maybe miss a few opportunities?

COACH PATERNO: I don't think there were any big holes no, I think he did all right. I think we've got to start... let me put it this way: We have too many people that are analyzing everything and sometimes they don't know what they're talking about. And in your particular case right now, I don't want to be rude, but I don't think you're being fair.

* Later talking about the mess at left guard.

Both left guards we saw (in the game) on Saturday. What have you seen from both of them so far? And is that still a spot that you're undecided with?

COACH PATERNO: They're fighting it out. But right now (Johnnie) Troutman is a little bit ahead.

And why do you say that he's ahead of (DeOn'tae) Pannell? What has he shown more of to you? What has he done to separate himself?

COACH PATERNO: He's playing better.

Nothing specifically?

COACH PATERNO: He's playing better. You want me to give you a clinic? Got a blackboard here? I'll show you, for crying out loud. No, it's as simple as that.

Full story and video

1. BOYS II MEN. That would be an accurate comparison between the Penn State and Alabama programs after watching the two sides bang heads Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. Actually, one side did all the hittin' and the other did all the catchin' in the Crimson Tide's 24-3 win. Alabama backup tailback Trent Richardson ? is it really fair to call someone this talented a backup? ? pulverized Joe Paterno's 'D'. And PSU could not match up physically with the defending champs.

2. PULLING THE PLUG? What's up with JoePa sitting QB Rob Bolden (in favor of Kevin Newsome) for about half of the fourth quarter against 'Bama? The true freshman played better than his final numbers indicated (13 of 29, 144 yards, two interceptions) and very much appears to represent the future for the Lions' offense. We say let him endure some bumps in the road. He'll be better off in the long run.

3. COVER 2? Those Alabama wideouts ? Julio Jones and Marquis Maze, in particular ? are going to give every secondary problems this season. But we didn't like what we saw from a few of the Lions' defensive backs when they attempted to A: run with them and B: tackle them. Paterno believes in zone coverage because it is easier to prevent a big play when you align the free safety 15 yards deep. But in theory, the safeties should have the foot speed to close quickly on the receivers in front of them. In theory. Didn't see it Saturday.

4. A TOUGH CLIMB. The Lions were probably fortunate to drop only four spots in the AP rankings (from No. 18 to No. 22) and with murderous road dates looming against Iowa and Ohio State later in the season, you have to wonder if there is ANY chance of Paterno's team finishing in the top 15. Because you can forget about the top 10. Or as our friend Sheena likes to say (what a name-dropper …), Fuhgettaboutit.

5. LIGHTNING CRASHES. Has anyone seen Graham Zug? Penn State's senior wideout, a returning starter who led PSU in TD receptions last season with seven, has yet to catch a pass. The player we (affectionately) call “Amish Lightning” also had a key third-down drop in 'Bama territory in the third quarter with PSU down 17. The Zugger needs to get his act together Saturday against Kent State.

6. MISSING IN ACTION. Time to call out a couple of PSU defensive players who have not gotten the job done in the early stages of the season ? defensive ends Jack Crawford and Eric Latimore. Neither was credited with a solo tackle in the loss to the Tide (Crawford was tagged with a quarterback “hit”) and these guys have too many physical tools to be pulling an El-Zippo on the post-game stat sheet. Our question ? when 'Bama went to the 'empty' set with five receivers and just five linemen blocking, where were you guys?

7. INSTANT OFFENSE. Wouldn't hurt to get young wideout Shawney Kersey more involved Saturday. The 6-1, 197-pound redshirt freshman motored 24 yards with his only touch ? a reverse ? against 'Bama. And remember, he was the one who caught a pair of TD passes from quarterback Paul Jones in the Blue-White game.

8. CHANGING OF THE GUARD? Enough already with the left-guard rotation system. For continuity's sake, the Lions must settle on one guy. And that guy does not appear to be DeOn'tae Pannell. Tag, you're it, Johnnie Troutman.

9. ALMOST FAMOUS. Penn State sophomore outside linebacker Mike Mauti made his first career start against Alabama and was credited with three solo tackles and three assists. This dude can play and he looks close to 100 percent after tearing the ACL in his right knee two Augusts ago.

10. HERE'S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON. No one is more exciting and there may not be a better player in college football than Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, the dual-threat who has run-thrown Connecticut and Notre Dame (he hung 502 on the Fighting Irish) into defeat. If he stays healthy, he is a job-saver for Rich Rodriguez and he may be the one to beat for the Heisman Trophy. (Also on our radar: Alabama running back Trent Richardson, South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, Ohio State defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and Mila Kunis … oops, Kunis is on another list of ours that would be inappropriate to talk about.).

Full Story

DURHAM, N.C. -- Kent State senior right-handed pitcher Brennen Glass (Springfield, Ohio) has been named to Baseball America’s 2010 top prospects list for summer collegiate leagues.

Glass competed for the Grand Lake Mariners of the Great Lakes Collegiate League. The sixth-rated prospect in the GLCL recorded one complete game and two saves in 11 appearances for the Mariners, fanning 26 in 38.1 innings of work.

Glass appeared in 23 games with six starts for the Golden Flashes in 2010, posting a 4-0 record with 44 strikeouts.

Kent State earned its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and 10th in program history in 2010. After wrapping the regular season up with their fourth Mid-American Conference East Division crown in five years, the Flashes won five elimination games in three days to capture the MAC tournament title and earn a trip to the NCAA Los Angeles Regional.
This post was edited on 9/14 11:18 AM by stevehare Rivals

On Monday, Kent State head coach Doug Martin, defensive lineman Lee Stalker and offensive lineman Mike Fay met with the media to discuss the Golden Flashes upcoming game with Penn State.

Click the link below to see what they had to say about the game.











Video Interview

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week: Miami RB Thomas Merriweather
Senior running back Thomas Merriweather (Flourissant, Mo.) topped the century rushing mark for the second time in his career with 105 yards on 15 carries (7.0 ypc) and tied his career high with three touchdowns, including the game-winner from nine yards out with 9:03 remaining. Merriweather finished the opening drive of the game with a 23-yard scoring scamper, Miami’s first touchdown of the season. He also had a 20-yard score in the third quarter to even the game at 21-21.

Defensive Player of the Week: Temple DT Muhammad Wilkerson
Junior defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson (Linden, N.J.) had six tackles, a career-high two sacks, a career-high three tackles for loss and one forced fumble in Temple’s 13-10 overtime win over Central Michigan last Thursday. After two games, Wilkerson stands second in team tackles with 11, including nine solos, and leads the Owls with 3.5 TFL and two sacks.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Kent State K Freddy Cortez
Sophomore kicker Freddie Cortez (Fort Meade, Fla.) converted two field goals from 45 and 41 yards in a 26-13 loss at Boston College. It was the first time in his career Cortez has made two field goals of 40+ yards and the first kick was a yard shy of his career-long. Cortez has made 14-of-15 during the seven-game stretch, including all four this season and seven in a row overall.


West Division

Offensive Player of the Week: Western Michigan QB Alex Carder
Sophomore quarterback Alex Carder (Shawnee, Kan.) completed a career-high 24-of-33 passing (72.7 percent) for 298 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Nicholls State. Carder became the sixth Bronco QB with five passing TDs in a game in program history and the first since Oct. 8, 2005. Carder through TDs to four different receivers, hitting Jordan White twice, and Dallas Walker, Blake Hammond and Ansel Ponder once.

Defensive Player of the Week: Toledo LB Dan Molls
Sophomore linebacker Dan Molls (North Royalton, Ohio) totaled a career-high 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions in a 20-13 road win at Ohio. Molls set up the first Toledo touchdown with a 28-yard interception return to the 2-yard line. Molls picked off another pass at the Ohio 15-yard line and also had a fourth-down sack with two minutes remaining that gave Toledo the ball and sealed the victory.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Eastern Michigan P Jay Karutz
Sophomore punter Jay Karutz (North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia) racked up four punts for 198 yards for a 49.5 yard average against the RedHawks with three of the four inside the 20-yard line, including two that were downed inside the one-yard line. His fourth punt was a 56 yarder that went out of bounds. That 49.5 yard average is a school record, shattering the previous single-game mark of 49.0 set by Jerry Wedge versus Eastern Illinois University, Oct. 27, 1956.

Eugene Jarvis will not play today because of a leg injury. Disappointing but hopefully the offense will still perform well.

Most game coverage is marked as available only to premium subscribers. This includes the post game story that has exclusive quotes and photos, as well as recap stories. The KentSportsReport tries to make some content available for free, but obviously the staff would welcome all of you to give the KSR a try as a paid subscriber. With a 7-day free trial, you have an opportunity to go inside. Now that football is well underway and the Flashes look to have a promising season, this would be a good time to become an insider. So try the KentSportsReport today and see what all you have been missing.

KENT, Ohio - Carrying on what has become a five-year run of excellence in the Mid-American Conference, the Kent State softball program was presented with its next obstacle when the 2011 schedule was recently unveiled. Twelve different games on the Golden Flashes’ slate will feature opponents from the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

“It will be a challenging schedule for us,” Head Coach Karen Linder said. “Our goal is for our early spring tournaments to prepare us for the MAC and put us in a position to win it.”

Regular season play will get underway Feb. 12-13 at the Phoenix Leadoff Classic, which includes two games against host Elon. The following weekend (Feb. 18-20), KSU will have its hands full at East Carolina’s Pirate Classic, taking on three NCAA Tournament opponents.

“Our tournaments are where we will identify our starting pitching rotation,” Linder said. “We’re going to be facing NCAA Tournament teams like East Carolina and Hofstra and a lot of teams that have been at the top of their conference.”

KSU will then play five games on back-to-back weekends at the Florida Atlantic Invitational (Feb. 25-27) and Marshall Invitational (March 4-6). A spring break trip to the state of Florida will include four NCAA Tournament opponents in a seven-game stretch March 18-24.

The Flashes open their home schedule March 30, hosting a doubleheader with Pittsburgh. Later that week KSU begins conference play with a trip to Bowling Green (April 1) and Toledo (April 2-3).

“We’re going to be on the road more this year,” Linder said of visiting seven MAC opponents this season. “That’s going to be another unique challenge for us, but we’ve had a lot of success on the road too.”

Another six-game week begins April 6 with a doubleheader at Robert Morris. That weekend KSU will entertain Western Michigan and Northern Illinois April 8-10.

An April 13 doubleheader at Penn State puts the Flashes on the road for 8-of-10 contests concluding with a four-game weekend at defending MAC Tournament champion Ball State (April 22) and Miami (April 23-24). Seniors will celebrate their final weekend at home April 29 - May 1, hosting MAC East rivals Akron and Ohio.

The regular season wraps up May 6-8, taking on Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. The MAC’s top eight teams will play for an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament May 11-14 at Firestone Stadium in Akron.

Kent State’s fall competition begins Sept. 18-19, visiting Ashland and Akron. The Flashes then host the KSU Invitational Sept. 25-26.

I have two club seats for your game at Penn State. The tickets give you full access to the Mt. Nittany Club. Great place to experience a game. You can take an elevator to the seats if you like. Great food and seating in the club. Also in case of bad weather, view the game in the club from one of the 40 flat screens. The reserved parking spot is a five minute walk to the gate. Email me at edemyanovich@markelcorp.com if interested and we will work out a deal.
This post was edited on 9/10 8:08 PM by BeerLion

Lake Catholic senior outside hitter Bridget Grdina had a scholarship offer to play volleyball at Cleveland State, but she pretty much had her mind made up.

So when Kent State came with an offer, the Mentor resident gave an oral commitment . . . but not immediately.

"My parents told me to take my time and review all my options," said Grdina, who averaged 10.4 kills and 12.8 digs a match as a junior in helping lead the Cougars to a runner-up finish at last year's Division II state tournament. "But I've wanted to go to Kent for a long time.

"My sister attends school there and I'm very familiar with the area because I've been down there so often. I feel comfortable there."

Standing at 5-10, Grdina will be a defensive specialist or libero at the next level.

"I like playing back row," she said. "I don't know if I'll be a starter as a freshman, but I'm pretty confident I'm going to get some playing time."

Grdina doesn't know what she will major in.

Post your game predictions here...closest score (must pick winner) gets a free year of premium access to KSR and the Rivals.com network.

In my preview I said 35-16 Kent State.

Kent State will play at Kansas State in 2011. Link below...

Kent State at Kansas State in 2011

The Mid-American Conference announced its week 1 offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week.

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week: Kent State QB Spencer Keith
Sophomore quarterback Spencer Keith (Little Rock, Ark.) turned in the first three-touchdown performance of his career, going 24-for-35 for 275 yards, in a 41-10 win over Murray State. Keith found seven different targets, and has now thrown for more than 230 yards in each of the last five games dating back to last season.

Defensive Player of the Week: Bowling Green DB Keith Morgan
Junior defensive back Keith Morgan (Bellefontaine, Ohio) finished second on the team with 11 tackles and added an interception in the Falcons 30-27 road loss at Troy.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Temple K Brandon McManus
Sophomore kicker Brandon McManus (Hatfield, Pa.) made a career-high four field goals in a 31-24 win over Villanova, including the game-winning 43-yard with three seconds remaining. McManus led the Owls with 13 points and also added a career-long 53-yard field goal in the second quarter, which was the second-longest field goal in school history.

West Division

Offensive Player of the Week: Eastern Michigan RB Dwayne Priest
Senior tailback Dwayne Priest (Roanoke, Va.) ran for a career-best 142 yards on 26 rushes and scored two touchdowns. Priest added two five-yard touchdown scores in Eastern Michigan's 31-27 loss to Army last Saturday, Sept. 4.

Defensive Player of the Week: Central Michigan LB Nick Bellore
Senior linebacker Nick Bellore (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) totaled a team-high 11 tackles and one tackle for loss in a 33-0 win over Hampton. Bellore was part of a defense that posted a shutout, its first in an opener since 1979, and limited the Pirates to 129 net yards of offense. Bellore recorded at least 10 tackles in a game for the 20th time in his career.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Western Michigan P Ben Armer
Junior punter Ben Armer (Janesville, Wis.) registered eight punts for 327 yards (40.9 avg.) at Michigan State, including a career-matching long 62-yard punt. The punt was one of two of 50 yards or more in distance. Armer stopped the ball inside the opposition's 20-yard line three times, including a punt that hit at the 1-yard line and was downed at the two-yard line.

Click the link below for photos from Kent State's 41-10 win over Murray State.

Photo Gallery

KENT, Ohio ? Primed for another run at the NCAA Championship, the Kent State men’s golf team will begin the 2010-11 season with some preseason accolades in tow. The Golden Flashes received 26 votes in the preseason edition of the Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches’ Poll ranking the program 30th in the nation.

Kent State returns everyone from a team that claimed the fifth top 20 NCAA finish in school history last year. Leading the charge is two-time All-American John Hahn (Las Vegas, Nev./Hudson H.S. [Ohio]). Heading into his senior season this fall, Hahn has thus far compiled a 72.35 career scoring average, ranking him second to only Ben Curtis in the KSU record book. Last week at the U.S. Amateur, he tied for 13th in stroke play and made it to round of 16 in match-play before being knocked out by eventual champ Peter Uihlein on the 19th hole.

After capturing both the NCAA East Regional and Mid-American Conference titles last season the Golden Flashes earned the distinction of being the fourth-youngest team at the NCAA Championship. In addition, Kent State was the only school not from the Big 12 or Pac 10 to win a Regional title last year.

Along with Hahn, the Golden Flashes also welcome back 2010 MAC Player of the Year Brett Cairns (Courtland, Ontario/Holy Trinty). Cairns shared medalist honors at two events last season and tied for the nation’s lowest individual round with a 62 (-10) at The Traditions Course in the Aggie Invitational in April. A senior this fall, he joined Hahn during Kent State’s run to a sixth-place NCAA finish in 2008. Junior Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ontario/Highland Secondary) is back as well after being named First Team All-MAC last year. Hughes is coming off a successful amateur circuit this summer that included a fifth place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur and a 10th place showing in the Porter Cup. Hahn, Cairns and Hughes were all named to the GCAA PING All-Region team last year, marking the first time that KSU had three all-region selections since current professionals Curtis (PGA Tour), Jon Mills (Nationwide Tour) and Dany Sahl (Canadian Tour) were honored in 2000.

The rest of the line-up includes reigning MAC Freshman of the Year, Kevin Miller (Dover, Ohio/Sugarcreek Garaway), who tied for fourth at the NCAA East Regional, senior J.P. Paiment (Des Ruisseaux, Quebec/Polyvalente St. Joseph), another U.S. Amateur qualifier and sophomore Isaac Charette (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), who was in the line-up for the Golden Flashes entire post season run. In addition, senior John Furlong (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and sophomore Nathan Tarter (Mogadore, Ohio/Mogadore) are also back.

The veterans are joined by incoming freshmen Corey Conners (Listowel, Ontario), Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ontario) and Augie Ward (Hinckley, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit).

The 2010-11 season begins Sept. 12-13 at the Gopher Invitational hosted by Minnesota at Spring Hill Golf Club.