Germino tied for fifth overall after impressive four-under 67 Saturday

STANFORD, Calif. – It was moving day for Kent State women's golf Saturday, as the Golden Flashes moved up three spots to ninth place after the second round of the Stanford Intercollegiate, hosted by Stanford University.

On the shoulders of a four-under 67 by senior Mercedes Germino (Necochea, Argentina, Kent State posted a two-over 286 to take sole possession of ninth place, trailing eighth-place Oregon State by a stroke; Texas and San Diego State are hot on Kent State's heels, trailing the Golden Flashes by a stroke. Kent State is eight strokes behind sixth place Oklahoma State.

Germino had a bogey-free round on Saturday, notching four birdies, all coming in a seven-hole span midway through her round. She is now tied for fifth overall, moving up from her 13^th place spot on Friday. It was also her lowest score (-4) as a Golden Flash.

Recovering from a rough first day were freshman Jennifer Ha (Calgary, Alberta) and senior Shamira Marshall (Macedonia, Ohio). Despite a late double-bogey, Ha finished two-under thanks to a three-under 33 on the back nine, Kent State's first nine holes on Saturday. Marshall trimmed seven shots off her score from Friday to finish with a three-over 74, bolstered with two birdies on her final three holes.

Although Mandi Morrow (Kent, Ohio) did not get a birdie on Saturday, the senior notched a five-over 76. She is now tied for 63^rd overall. Sophomore Erin Hawe (Walton, New Zealand) struggled early and was unable to get back in the groove for the Golden Flashes, as she finished with a 14-over 85.

Defending national champion UCLA pulled away slightly, as the Bruins have a four-stroke lead on second-place Vanderbilt; Oregon's Cassy Isagawa and SooBin Kim share the individual lead at eight-under.

The Stanford Intercollegiate, which features six of the top 10 teams in the country and 14 of the nation's top 50 teams, concludes Sunday. Kent State will tee off No. 1 starting at 7:30 a.m. PT, matched with Oregon State and Arizona State.