Courtesy of North Carolina A&T State Athletic Communications
GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina A&T State continues to make history during the 2020-21 bowling season by having three Aggies named on the National Tenpins Coaches Association (NTCA) All-American Team.
The NTCA named senior Cameron Strombeck to their second team, leading to her second straight NTCA All-American honor. Strombeck was named on the third team last season to become the first Aggie to earn two All-American honors on either the first, second or third teams. Her sister, Emily, had a third-team All-American honor and two honorable mention recognitions.
Freshman Melanie Katen and junior Ericka Quesada earned third-team NTCA All-American honors.
The Aggies three honors are the most in school history. The Aggies had two mentions on the NTCA team each year, starting in 2014 and ending in 2016, as Emily Strombeck and Mackenzie Robinson made the team each year over that span in some capacity.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) named Cameron Strombeck preseason and postseason bowler of the year in 2021. Strombeck knocked down 6,397 pins over 30 games to average 213.2. She posted 19 200-pin games, including a season-high 268. She won the first and only MEAC Meet by totaling 1,135 pins over five games to average 227.0 as she earned MEAC bowler of the week for her efforts.
Strombeck also earned bowler of the week after finishing fifth at the 300 Music City Classic that featured 10 of the top-15 teams in the nation. Strombeck is a two-time first-team All-MEAC selection.
NTCA recently named Katen to their inaugural All-Freshman team. She totaled 6,366 pins on the season to average 205.4, and she had 17 200-pin games. Her season-high came in Greensboro when she bowled a 288 at the Vernell Stallings Invitational.
Katen won the tournament to earn MEAC rookie of the week. In her first career collegiate tournament, she finished third at the Coppin State Invitational by knocking down 1,008 pins in five games (201.6).
She led the Aggies to the 2021 MEAC championship, earning the tournament's most outstanding performer award after averaging 216. Katen also earned first-team All-MEAC honors and the N.C. A&T Athletics department named her its female rookie of the year.
Quesada totaled 5,839 pins to average 194.6. She had 12 games above 200, including a 233 against the UAB during the MEAC Meet. She finished third at the MEAC Meet for her best placement of the season. Quesada, a 4.0 student, is also a first-team All-MEAC selection.
NTCA A&T All-Americans:
2021: Cameron Strombeck (second team); Melanie Katen (third team); Ericka Quesada (third team).
2020: Cameron Strombeck (third team).
2019: Ana Olaya (honorable mention).
2016: Emily Strombeck (honorable mention); Mackenzie Robinson (honorable mention).
2015: Emily Strombeck (third team).
2014: Emily Strombeck (honorable mention); Mackenzie Robinson (honorable mention).