Pikunas Named MAC Freshman of the Year, Zips Fourth at MAC Championships

Sunday, April 22

Naperville Country Club | Naperville, IL

All Day

University of Akron

Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Championships

Pikunas Named MAC Freshman of the Year, Zips Fourth at MAC Championships

April 22 | Women's Golf

Follow Zips Women's Golf on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram | Follow Coach King on Twitter
GolfStat Live Scoring | Round 3 Pairings | Leaderboard: Team | Player
Results PDF: RD1 | RD2 | Final | MAC Championship Tournament Central

Naperville, Ill. – Freshman Jacinta Pikunas (Youngstown, Ohio) was named Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-MAC after the Zips placed fourth overall (+60, 310-306-308 - 924) at the 2018 MAC Women's Golf Championships on Sunday.

Pikunas completed her first MAC Championship event tied for seventh on the individual leaderboard with a 225 (+9) tournament total. She carded a final round 76 (+4) at the par-72, 6,092-yard Naperville Country Club. Pikunas opened the 54-hole season finale with 73 (+1) and 76 (+4) scores.

The seventh-place finish marked the sixth time she landed in the Top 10 and ninth time in the Top 25 in the 10 stroke-play events this season. The 2018 MAC Freshman of the Year experienced success early, placing second in her collegiate debut at the Roseanne Schwartz Invitational and winning her second tournament at the Ball State Cardinal Classic.

At the Cardinal Classic, Pikunas set the Zips' all-time lowest 54-hole total with a 6-under 210 total, a record Nicholson set at the 2015 MAC Championships. Pikunas also posted UA's all-time lowest round score of 66 (-6). She earned MAC Women's Golfer of the Week following her first collegiate win (9/21/17).

Pikunas captured two first-place finishes and two second-place finishes as a rookie. She is the only freshman in Akron history to finish first in two tournaments and tallied six rounds of par or better, including Akron's all-time lowest round score at 6-under par.

Pikunas finished the season as the Zips scoring leader with a 74.41 stroke average, 2,009 strokes in 27 rounds played.

Also finishing seventh overall at the 2018 MAC Championships was junior Danielle Nicholson (Geneva, Ohio). Nicholson fired a team-low 74 (+2) final round score to go along with rounds of 78 (+6) and 73 (+1) for a 225 (+9) tournament total. Nicholson was named second-team ALL-MAC for her efforts in 2018.

Nicholson posted a second-best 74.88 stroke average this season while landing inside the Top 25 eight times. She led the Zips' scoring in five of the last six tournaments with two first-place finishes and six Top 11 performances.

For the second straight year, Nicholson earned medalist honors at Rio Verde Invitational. She defended her title by firing final rounds of 68 (-4) and 70 (-2) en route to a 2-under par 214 tournament total. Nicholson claimed three MAC Women's Golfer of the Week awards in 2018, winning all three during the spring season over that six-week period.

Senior Pader Her (Holt, Mich.) finished her career as a Zip with a 79 (+7) final round at the MAC Championships. She finished inside the Top 20, landing tied for 18^th overall with rounds of 74 (+2), 81 (+9), and 79 (+7) for a 234 (+18) performance.

Rounding out the Zips scoring were freshman Abbie Pearce (Green, Ohio) and sophomore Allyson Wentworth (Stewartsville, N.J.) with 240 (+24) and 249 (+33) totals, respectively. Pearce finished tied for 28^th overall and Wentworth placed 44^th overall.

Kent State claimed the 2018 MAC title while setting the all-time lowest team score with an 11-under par 853 total. In addition, Pimnipa Panthong earned the Individual MAC Championship with an all-time low 8-under par 208 score. Panthong was named MAC Golfer of the Year.

The 2018 MAC Women's Golf Championships concludes the Zips 2017-18 season.

2018 Mid-American Conference Awards and Results:

First Team All-MAC:
Pimnipa Panthong, Kent State
Michaela Finn, Kent State
Pinyada Kuvanun, Toledo
Karoline Stormo, Kent State
Jacinta Pikunas, Akron

Second Team All-MAC:
Saranlak Tumfong, Toledo
Danielle Nicholson, Akron
Kory Nielsen, Kent State
Brielle Ward, NIU
Julia Champion, WMU

Golfer of the Year:
Pimnipa Panthong, Kent State

Freshman of the Year:
Jacinta Pikunas, Akron

Sportswoman of the Year:
Lily Pendy, Ohio

Coach of the Year:
Greg Robertson, Kent State

All-Tournament Team:
Michaela Finn, Kent State
Pimnipa Panthong, Kent State
Karoline Stormo, Kent State
Pinyada Kuvanun, Toledo
Chloe Salort, Kent State

2018 MAC Championship Results

Top 5 Teams
1 Kent State 282-285-286 - 853 (-11)
2 Toledo 303-300-307 - 910 (+46)
3 Northern Illinois 310-297-316 - 923 (+59)
4 Akron 310-306-308 - 924 (+60)
5 Eastern Michigan 305-309-318 - 932 (+68)

Top 5 Players
1 Pimnipa Panthong Kent State 67-72-69 – 208 (-8)
2 Michaela Finn Kent State 71-72-71 - 214 (-2)
3 Pinyada Kuvanun Toledo 72-71-73 - 216 (E)
4 Karoline Stormo Kent State 74-67-77 - 218 (+2)
5 Chloe Salort Kent State 70-74-75 - 219 (+3)

4 Akron (+60) 310-306-308 - 924
T7 Danielle Nicholson (+9) 78-73-74 - 225
T7 Jacinta Pikunas (+9) 73-76-76 - 225
T18 Pader Her (+18) 74-81-79 - 234
T28 Abbie Pearce (+24) 85-76-79 - 240
T44 Allyson Wentworth (+33) 86-81-82 - 249