Lady Wildcats get five wins on Day Two of Kutztown Invitational
READING, Pa. – The Bethune-Cookman bowling team went 5-1 on Saturday, as the Wildcats improved to 8-3 overall after the second day of action in the 2015 Kutztown Invitational at Hiester Lanes in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Bethune-Cookman (41-25) took part in six matches as part of Traditional play on the second of the three-day annual event hosted by Kutztown University.
The Cats opened the day with a 984-874 win over Cheyney, followed by a decisive 996-703 victory against Medaille.
B-CU would improve to 3-0 on the day following a 969-740 victory coming against Mount Aloysius. The team would claim its fourth consecutive Traditional play win on the strength of a 978-954 decision over perennial power Adelphi. The Cats stayed hot for their fifth and final win of the day, as they took down Pitt.-Bradford, 808-738.
The only loss of the day came against No. 7 Fairleigh-Dickinson, as the Wildcats dropped a heartbreaking 1,042-1,038 decision.
The tournament concludes Sunday with a tournament at 8:25 a.m. The tournament, consisting of Best 4-of-7 Baker matches, will determine the champion. The 28 teams will be seeded based on the performance on Friday and Saturday.
The Wildcats own a record of 8-3 following the opening two days, but sit in 18th place for total pin count with 11,175 pins.
On the day, it was Felicia Baker leading the charge for the Wildcats, knocking down a team-high 1,195 pins, averaging 199.17 overall. She registered a high game of 223 against FDU. Following her nicely was Ivory Miles with 1,184 pins, and an average of 197.33 Miles recorded three 200-plus performances, including a 247 against Medaille.
Rebecca Gomez led the Wildcats in average (206.60), bowling in just five-of-six matches, as she missed the final contest against FDU. She produced a team high-game 255 in the win against Mount Aloysius, as well as a 232 (vs. Cheyney) and 237 (vs. Adelphi) on the afternoon.
Central Missouri tops the standings heading into Sunday’s tournament play, followed by Fairleigh Dickinson and Maryland Eastern Shore, respectively.
B-CU will open Sunday’s play with a matchup against No. 20 Monmouth. The winner of that match will take on the winner of the No. 15 Valparaiso/No.12 Kutztown match in the next round.
This year’s Kutztown Invitational field employs 11 nationally ranked teams, including three ranked in the top five. In the tournament field from the latest rankings is No. 3 Sam Houston State, No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Maryland Eastern Shore, No. 6 Central Missouri, No. 7 Fairleigh Dickinson, No. 9 Stephen F. Austin, No. 11 Sacred Heart, No. 13 North Carolina A&T, No. 15 Valparaiso, No. 17 St. Francis (N.Y.) and No. 20 Monmouth. Host Kutztown is ranked No. 12, respectively.
Overall, this year’s field includes 28 participating teams vying for the annual championship, which is one of the east coast’s largest tournaments annually.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
Coppin State tops Mount Aloysius at Kutztown Invitational
READING, Pa. – Coppin State’s women’s bowling team concluded its second day of competition at the Annual Kutztown Invitational at Heister Lanes Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles went 1-5 as they spent the day competing in six traditional matches. In its final match, Coppin State was triumphant against Mount Aloysius, 746-609.
Freshman Jasmine Newman led the Eagles with 200 in their lone victory. This was her third time bowling at least 200. Newman finished the series with 949 pins and a 158.2 average.
Junior Kache Woods was close behind with 930 pins. She averaged a 155.0 pinfall and had a high-game of 175 against Cheyney.
Junior Kristen Sharpe rounded finished with 863 pins and a 143.9 average. She rolled 168 against second-ranked Farleigh Dickinson.
Coppin State will be wrapping up action Sunday morning beginning at 8:25 a.m. with the best-of-7 Baker matches.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
UMES climbs to third at Kutztown Invitational
READING, Pa. — Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) kept alive their chances of winning a fourth straight Kutztown Invitational today, climbing all the way to as high as second place before settling into third place at the end of day two of the event.
The Hawks did it behind a 4-1 record and placing two bowlers at the top of the individual standings for today’s six match schedule. By placing within the top four teams, UMES will have a chance to win, needing three wins in tomorrow’s best four-of-seven Baker match format bracket. Last year, they came from the fourth-seed to win their third straight title.
UMES came out on fire, torching the lanes for a 1,065, defeating No 17 Long Island, who tossed a solid 1,042. That win and tally vaulted them from eighth place to fifth in just one match, rolling the second highest tally of the block. They got a high game from senior Valerie Riggin who rolled a 239 while classmate Mariana Alvarado added a 214. Thashaina Seraus added a 235 and Victoria Jones a 210.
The Hawks kept pouring it on in the second match. After nearly an hour delay with lanes maintenance issues, UMES returned to the lanes on the televised pair to dominate Morgan State 1,063-914. Alvarado didn’t let up on her conference school, rolling a 279 to match a career high. Seraus added a 200 while the rest of the Hawks took it easy on their MEAC counterpart, with scores in the 190s.
Match three was another dominant win as UMES topped No. 12 Sacred Heart 1,039-886. Alvarado stayed hot with a 224, Jones added a 222 and Seraus a 206. Riggin and Tatiana Munoz both were again in the 190s.
UMES bowled a bye for their fourth match in the spot vacated by Penn-State Bradford. They still rolled well with a 1,058. Riggin was high game again with a 235, Seraus was a 227 and Alvarado added a 216. Munoz broke 200 for the first time on the day with a 205.
UMES was steadily catching up and gunning for the fourth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. They couldn’t quote seem to get there but the bye match vaulted them ahead by about 20 pins. But what came next was the most important match of the day for the Hawks.
Taking on Cheyney the Hawks exploded for a 1,170-809 win. The score will rank as the seventh highest score in UMES Bowling history. Seraus led the Hawks with a 265 while Munoz added a 241 and Hones a 236. Riggin tossed a 216 and Alvarado a 212. Normally a high scorer, Alvarado was the lowest with her 212, something the Hawks will take every time out if their fifth bowler is comfortably over 200. The score vaulted UMES into second place overall.
UMES had a setback in the sixth and final match of the day. Bowling on the practice pair that was called into play after the breakdown, UMES struggled to toss a 949, being bested by No. 14 St. Francis –Brooklyn who rolled a 992. Alvarado tossed a 213 while Riggin added a 203. No other Hawk broke 200.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Spartans Finish .500 at Kutztown Invitational
READING, Pa. – The No. 19 Norfolk State bowling team finished the weekend with a 7-7 record at the three-day, highly competitive Kutztown Invitational over the weekend at Hiester Lanes.
The Spartans started off well, posting a 4-2 record during Friday’s Baker action. NSU went 2-3 during Saturday’s traditional play before ending things with a 1-2 mark on Sunday in the bracket round.
Senior Kelsea Yarbrough averaged 205.8 in six games on Saturday, which included the bye. Yarbrough rolled a 257 during NSU’s match off, 19 pins better than her career-high of 238 set earlier this season. She also had games of 227 and 218.
Senior Courtney Brown tallied a 188.7 average in six games, while fellow senior Ashley Buck posted a 184.2 average in six games. Junior Carrie Hickey and senior Courtney Williford also competed in all six contests as well on Saturday.
NSU opened up the tournament with three straight wins in Baker play. The Spartans downed Mount Aloysius College, 888-741, and then Medaille, 826-725. They also handed Pitt-Bradford an 891-717 setback.
Adelphi defeated NSU, 960-885, and No. 18 Kutztown followed with a 958-912 victory over the Spartans. They were able to end the day on a good note, squeaking by Cheyney, 860-857.
The Spartans began traditional play on Saturday with a pair of losses, first to No. 12 Sacred Heart by a 958-834 score and then to No. 14 Saint Francis Brooklyn, 955-843. In between, NSU scored its best of the weekend with a 1,013 tally during the bye.
After a victory over No. 11 St. Francis (Pa.), 937-814, the Spartans dropped their third contest of the day, this time to Monmouth by a 1,012-933 score. NSU finished out the day with a victory over Morgan State, 902-733.
NSU faced St. Francis (Pa.) two more times on Sunday in bracket play. The Red Flash defeated NSU by a 4-1 score in Baker action, forcing the Spartans to face Cheyney. The Spartans had to climb out of a 2-0 hole and eventually win the last two games, 190-174 and 221-159, to defeat Cheyney, 4-3.
The Red Flash, though, again won in five games in the last match as NSU finished 20th out of 27 teams. The Spartans ranked 20th after Saturday with a total pinfall of 10,724.
The Kutztown Invite is the largest tournament of the NCAA season and featured 14 ranked teams and four others receiving votes in the top-20 poll.
NSU will compete next weekend at the Red Flash Invitational hosted by Saint Francis (Pa.).
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com