NORFOLK, Va., March 12, 2012- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today the eight-team field that will compete in the 2012 MEAC Bowling Championship, March 16-18, at the Gate City Lanes in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Delaware State, Hampton, Maryland Eastern Shore and Morgan State qualified from the northern division, while Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Norfolk State and North Carolina Central will compete from the southern division. 

Maryland Eastern Shore, who is ranked fifth in the nation, captured their third northern divisional title with 29-1 mark in MEAC play and 94-29 overall record. The Lady Hawks posted a 14-1 mark in team games and 15-0 mark in Baker games in MEAC divisional play to earn the title.

No. 12 Norfolk State finished atop of the southern division for the second straight year with a 24-6 record en route to the southern divisional crown.

Only the top four teams from each division are eligible to compete in the championship tournament. Howard (8-22), Coppin State (2-28), South Carolina State (10-20), and North Carolina A&T (7-23) were eliminated from postseason play.

The tournament begins Friday, March 16 with a qualifying round to determine seeding. Teams will then compete in a second qualifying round with Baker game play and placed in a double-elimination bracket.

Play continues on Saturday with teams competing in a best-of-seven Baker series.

The 2012 MEAC Bowling Championship will conclude on Sunday, March 18 beginning with the semifinal round at 10 a.m. and concluding with the championship final. 

The championship finale will air tape-delayed on ESPNU at 10 p.m. on March 26.

For the latest on MEAC Bowling and other sponsored sports, log on to www.MEACsports.com.

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