NORFOLK, Va., Sept. 27, 2018—Delaware State junior Alexis Neuer was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Bowler of the Year, the conference announced today. Defending champion North Carolina A&T State was tabbed as the preseason favorite to take the MEAC regular-season crown.
All awards were voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Neuer is the reigning MEAC Bowler of the Year, coming off a sophomore campaign in which she averaged more than 204 pins a game in traditional play and led the Hornets to their second straight MEAC Northern Division regular-season title. She led all MEAC bowlers last season with a single-game high of 296, which she rolled at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Sectionals en route to earning a berth to the USBC National Collegiate Singles Championships for the second straight season.
A five-time MEAC Bowler of the Week and First Team All-MEAC selection in 2017-18, Neuer was also the Most Outstanding Performer at the Monmouth Hawk Flight. She was also named All-America Honorable Mention by the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA).
Joining Neuer on the Preseason All-MEAC Team are Maryland Eastern Shore’s Alexandra Hernandez, Ana Olaya and Cameron Strombeck of North Carolina A&T State and Taylor Russell from UAB.
The 2018-19 season will see the end of division play, as the MEAC’s 11 bowling institutions – including new associate members Monmouth and UAB – will compete in a pair of conference round-ups during the regular season. The first will be in Dover, Del. on Nov. 10-11, and the other will be held Feb. 23-24 in Greensboro, N.C.
The Aggies, who defeated Maryland Eastern Shore last season to win their first MEAC bowling title since 2004, picked up 10 first-place votes and notched 224 points. Maryland Eastern Shore, with six first-place votes, was picked to finish second, while Delaware State notched four first-place votes and was picked to finish third.
UAB and Monmouth (one first-place vote) were picked to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
Norfolk State, Morgan State (one first-place vote), Florida A&M, Howard, Coppin State and Bethune-Cookman rounded out the predicted order of finish poll.
The 2018-19 bowling season kicks off the weekend of Oct. 13-14. The 2019 MEAC Bowling Championship will be held March 29-31 at the AMF Lanes in Chesapeake, Va. The top six teams in the regular-season standings will qualify for the tournament.
2018-19 Preseason All-MEAC Bowling Team & Predicted Order of Finish
As voted on by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors
Preseason Bowler of the Year: Alexis Neuer, Delaware State
Preseason All-MEAC Team
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Alexis Neuer |
Jr. |
Delaware State |
Lewisburg, Pa. |
| Alexandra Hernandez |
Sr. |
Maryland Eastern Shore |
Maracaibo, Venezuela |
| Ana Olaya |
So. |
North Carolina A&T State |
Bogota, Colombia |
| Cameron Strombeck |
So. |
North Carolina A&T State |
Durham, N.C. |
| Taylor Russell |
Jr. |
UAB |
Tupelo, Miss. |
Predicted Order of Finish
(First-place votes in parentheses)
| School |
Points |
| North Carolina A&T State (10) |
224 |
| Maryland Eastern Shore (6) |
205 |
| Delaware State (4) |
194 |
| UAB |
170 |
| Monmouth (1) |
151 |
| Norfolk State |
128 |
| Morgan State (1) |
106 |
| Florida A&M |
100 |
| Howard |
80 |
| Coppin State |
50 |
| Bethune-Cookman |
44 |