JONESBORO, Ark. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women’s bowling team had a solid day on the lanes to open the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Arkansas, hosted by Arkansas State University (ASU). They posted a 3-2 record, including a one-pin loss, and stand fourth overall in total pinfall.
UMES opened the day against No. 8 Stephen F. Austin, it was a rough start for the Hawks as senior Valerie Riggin led the charge with a 215 but no one else rolled in the 190s. Their opponent, the Jacks, didn’t fare much better, getting a 226 from their anchor, but had two games in the 150s. In the end, it went in SFA’s favor by a single pin, 912-911.
Game two was more to the Hawks liking. Facing No. 6 Vanderbilt, UMES dominated, getting a 235 from Tatiana Munoz, a 227 from Mariana Alvarado and a 222 from Thashaina Seraus. They combined to put up a 1,061 to Vandy’s 990, a 71 pin advantage.
UMES kept rolling with a 1,009-987 win over Louisiana Tech. The Hawks saw Victoria Jones (Baltimore, Md.) get in the action with a 211 while Seraus poured on a 235. Alvarado added a 191 to give UMES their second win in a row.
The fourth match in the team-game format pitted two of the more storied women’s bowling teams when UMES took on Central Missouri. The fourth ranked Jennies got the better of the Hawks, 1,033-987. Alvarado tossed a 233, but no other Hawk broke 200 with Jones adding a 197 and Seraus a 195. They couldn’t match UCM who put up a 257, 225 and 216 along the way.
The Hawks picked up a win over No. 20 Tulane in the final match of the day, 951-865. Jones, Riggin and Alvarado tossed games in the low 200s with a 202, 201 and 200 even respectively, to help ensure the win.
The Hawks tallied 4,919 pins on the day to finish in fourth place. They averaged a 196.8 and were 96 pins ahead of fifth place and fifth-ranked Sam Houston State. They were only 28 pins out of third, trailing SFA. The host Arkansas State finished the day in second with 4,994 pins, 75 pins ahead of UMES. The Nation’s No. 1 team, Nebraska, finished the day in first place with 5,114 and the only team averaging over 200 with a 204.6. They were 195 pins ahead of the Hawks.
McKendree, Vanderbilt, Central Missouri, Wisconsin-Whitewater and UAB rounded out the top ten teams with Tulane, Valparaiso, Louisiana Tech, Alabama State and Jackson State rounding out the field.
Individually, the highest bowler for UMES was Alvarado in 13th place, who averaged a 203 on the day. Seraus was 16th, just six pins behind with a 201.8. Jones was 26th, Munoz 31st and Riggin in 34th in a field of 93 women who saw time on the lanes on day one.
The event is free and open to the public at Jonesboro Bowling Center. Many matches are streamed live on ASU’s site, stAteZOne, which is also free for this event. Fans can find the stream on the Red Wolves’ website, AStateRedWolves.com and clicking on the links on the right. The stream will feature lanes 19-20 on Saturday and Sunday. However, UMES is not scheduled to appear on the stream.
The schedule continues to be tough on the Hawks as they will face Alabama State, Jackson State, Arkansas State, McKendree and Valparaiso, again in team games tomorrow starting a 9:25 a.m. Total pinfall after tomorrow’s five matches will determine seeding for Sunday’s bracket play. Each team will bowl three, best-four-of-seven Baker matches.
Action starts Sunday at 8:25 a.m. All of those times are in the Central Time Zone, so adjust your schedule by one hour ahead in the east to watch live.