NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women’s bowling team fell four spots in the latest National Tenpins Coaches Association (NTCA) poll to ninth place. The pre-season No. 5 ranked team struggled in their opening tournament this season to an eighth place finish, but won two tournaments since and took fourth at their own Hawk Classic.
The voting, held before UMES just impressed at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Northern Division #2 meet, saw UMES earn 375 total points in the voting, 20 points behind 8th ranked Stephen F. Austin, whom the Hawks dominated at the Hawk Classic 1043-924 and bettered their finish by three spots with UMES taking fourth and the Jacks, seventh.
The poll actually plays no bearing on who makes the NCAA Championship field, with a selection committee evaluating each team on several categories to determine all eight at-large votes. UMES has made all 11 NCAA Championship fields.
The Hawks, currently at 36-13 overall and 20-0 in the MEAC open their 2015 schedule at the Mid-Winter Classic in Jonesboro, Ark. An event hosted by Arkansas State and a good test of the team against team from the central division, which dominated the top half of the poll.
Nebraska, held on to its top ranking with a 37-6 record and 785 points. Fairleigh Dickinson, the only other east region team in the top nine, was second, jumping up from seventh. The Knights have won every tournament they have entered this season and amassed 720 points and a 27-8 record.
Arkansas State fell from second to third with 663 points and a 42-14 record. All three of the top teams earned first place votes with Nebraska racking up 21, FDU four and ASU just one.
Central Missouri continued the run of central region teams with a fourth place spot, climbing two. They had 633 points and have a 31-12 record. Sam Houston State dropped from third to fifth with 547 points and a 51-20 record.
Vanderbilt was sixth with 532 points, (39-18), Wisconsin-Whitewater was seventh with 463 points. MEAC member North Carolina A&T had their highest-ever ranking at tenth with 358 points.
Other MEAC schools included Delaware State up three to 16th and Norfolk State at 19th. Bethune-Cookman received votes in the poll as well. Tulane entered the poll at #20 for the first time in their school’s history.