LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - The FGCU women's golf team defeated Northern Illinois in the semifinals, but came up just short against No. 22 Kent State University in the championship to finish runner-up at the Mid-American Match Play Challenge on Tuesday at Lakewood Ranch Country Club on Tuesday.

Kent State entered the tournament ranked 22nd in the latest GolfStat rankings. The Golden Flashes finished last season ranked 15th in the final GolfWeek rankings and came in fifth in the nation at the NCAA Championships.

"We knew we were going to have our hands full with Kent State being a top-25 team," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "We played hard and came up just short, but I think we gained a lot of confidence knowing that we can go toe to toe with a top program and really challenge them. I think this will be a big step for our program."

In the opening semifinal match of the day, the No. 2 seeded Eagles defeated No. 3 seed Northern Illinois 3-2. Kelsy Holbert (3&2), Natalia Nassar (2 UP) and Madeline Marck-Sherk (1 UP) picked up victories, while Ashley Kimbrough (1 UP) and Madison Easterbrook (2 UP) fell just short.

"I could not be more pleased with how we played today," Trew said. "We were down in some matches against NIU with our backs up against the wall and to come back the way we did was awesome. It was close the whole way through and with Kelsy and Nat winning, we needed Madeline to come back in her match, and she came back from three down to win. We showed a lot of guts to hang in there and get the win."

In the finals, Nassar (1 UP) and Holbert (2 & 1) picked up victories. Marck-Sherk won the 16th hole and nearly tied things up, but finished just shy of the 2017 Mid-American Conference golfer and freshman of the year Pimnipa Panthong (2 UP). Kimbrough (3&2) and Easterbrook (4&2) also took losses.

FGCU's participation marked the third consecutive year the Eagles have took part in the event, and the team recorded its highest finish after coming in third last year and fifth the year before.

INDIVIDUAL SEMIFINAL RESULTS - FGCU vs Northern Illinois
1. Madeline Marck-Sherk (FGCU) d. Brielle Ward 1 UP
2. Natalia Nassar (FGCU) d. Kelly Anderson 2 UP
3. Sofia Gomez Enriquez Riart (NIU) d. Madison Easterbrook 2 UP
4. Kelsy Holbert (FGCU) d. Isabella Samudio 3&2
5. Lauren Ingle (NIU) d. Ashley Kimbrough 1 UP

INDIVIDUAL FINALS RESULTS - FGCU vs Kent State
1. Michaela Finn (Kent State) d. Ashley Kimbrough 3&2
2. Kelsy Holbert (FGCU) d. Kasey Nielsen 2&1
3. Chloe Salort (Kent State) d. Madison Easterbrook 4&2
4. Natalia Nassar (FGCU) d. Karoline Stormo 1 UP
5. Pimnipa Panthong (Kent State) d. Madeline Marck-Sherk 2 UP

SEMIFINAL RESULTS
No. 1 Kent State d. No. 5 Western Michigan 5-0-0
No. 2 FGCU d. No. 3 Northern Illinois 3-2-0

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND RESULTS 
Finals: No. 1 Kent State d. No. 2 FGCU 3-2-0
3rd Place: No. 3 Northern Illinois d. No. 5 Western Michigan 4-0-1
5th Place: No. 4 Akron d. No. 7 Ohio 3-1-1
7th Place: No. 8 UNC Asheville d. No. 6 Bowling Green 2-1-2

NOTES
Teams were seeded based on their final fall GolfStat rankings. 

The event was held at the Royal Lakes Golf Course at Lakewood Ranch Country Club and was hosted by Bowling Green State University.

FGCU received a first round bye and opened in the quarterfinals for the first time. They've won eight of 11 head-to-head matchups.

NEXT UP
Following this week, FGCU will be back in action Feb. 19-20 in the Amelia Island Collegiate hosted by Jacksonville University. It will be the second of six events for the Eagles this spring prior to the ASUN Championship April 22-24.

COACH TREW
Head coach Sarah Trew is in her 7th season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team. She took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the ASUN Tournament and 24 top-5 finishes. The 2013-14 squad set a new single-season scoring record with a team average of 307.88, while also setting a new benchmark academically. The spring of 2015 saw the Eagles again take third place at the ASUN Championship, and recording their best team score of the season while 2016 again set a new standard. In 2015-16, Trew earned her first ASUN Coach of the Year title after the squad recorded a new program best with a 305.29 average and took second-place at the conference tournament – the program's best finish in the event. In the second round of that tournament, the Eagles carded a team score of 290 to set a low-round program record. The 2016-17 Eagles repeated that success with another second-place finish in the ASUN Championship and for the third time since Trew took over, set a new record with a 302.30 stroke average on the season.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU women's golf program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_WGolf and on Facebook at /FGCUWGolf.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.