March 13, 2006
Complete Results
EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Women'sBowling team, currently ranked 8th in the country, helped solidify its bid for a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend as they took second place in the second annual Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Women's Bowling Championship.
Heading into the finals the Hawks were seeded third behind top seeded Farleigh Dickinson University (FDU), last year's runner-up to the National Championship, and New Jersey City University (NJCU), the defending ECAC Champions.
The third seeding was earned for total pinfall as UMES had 9,103 pins, 38 pins behind second seeded NJCU and 277 behind FDU. It was a three team race for almost the entire event as Sacred Heart was fourth but 1,096 pins out of first and 819 behind UMES.
UMES was paired up with the Gothic Knights as two and three went head-to-head. The Hawks who had already lost to NJCU earlier in the event, got revenge, defeating them three games to one (217-212, 203-185, 219-267, 234-179). That set up a meeting with FDU who had defeated the fourth seeded Pioneers of Sacred Heart University 3-2-1.
The Hawks had previously defeated FDU earlier in the tournament were hoping to upset the number two team in the nation once again. It wasn't to be as they topped UMES three games to one (206-191), 200-225, 221-181, 279-247). Farleigh Dickinson University won the ECAC crown but a second place finish to FDU was a solid outing for the Hawks.
The event, held at AMF Midstate Lanes, included a team and individual championship event.
For her outstanding individual accomplishments Jessica Worsley (Brick, N.J./Brick H.S.), who bowled in front of her home state, was named to the All-Tournament Team. She tallied 1,383 pins in six games of work, an average of 230.5. Her high game was a whopping 259.
Joining her on the All-Tournament Team was Vicki Spratford of NJCU, who averaged 237.5, Kathleen Weissman of NJCU, Lisa Friscioni of FDU and Christi White of FDU.
UMES dominated the field individual besides Worsley's strong show in third place. Maryetta Lewis was seventh (216 average), Laura Zanrucha was eighth (213.33 average) and Jamie Culbreth was 14th (206.67 average). The entire field was so strong that the top 17 spots were all averaging over 200. Sandra Maresca was among them, finishing 16th with a 203.3 average.
Lewis had the high game in game five with a 267.
Also rolling over 200 in a game on the day for the Hawks were Jennifer Davis, Sara DiScioscia, Christine King, Kristie Minnis and Megan Raymond. That means every Hawks rolled 200 or better in at least one game of the tournament, a very impressive feat.
In Baker games the Hawks rolled 202, 259 and 236 for a high in each quad baker game.
While all the accolades were impressive, the Hawks picked up five much needed wins in NCAA standings. They went 5-3 in the head-to-head competition. They improved to 67-37 on the year, a winning percentage of .644
The Hawks topped Saint Peter's College 995-946, FDU 1108-1010, Howard, 869-771, Delaware State 858-701 and of course NJCU in the semi-finals. They dropped matches to NJCU (1123-1050), Sacred Heart (856-765) and the finals loss to FDU.
The eight-team tournament featured two of the top five schools in the nation, and five of the top 15. In addition to #4 NJCU, also competing were No. 2 ranked FDU, #8 University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, #13 Morgan State University, # 15 (T) Sacred Heart University and #15 (T) Delaware State University, along with Howard University and St. Peter's College.
FDU was declared the winner with UMES receiving runner-up accolades. NJCU finished third by defeating Sacred Heart. Fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) teams Morgan State took home fifth place by defeating Delaware State who was sixth. Howard was seventh after defeating St. Peter's who rounded out the standings.
UMES vies for another championship next weekend, March 18-19, 2006 in Virginia Beach, Va. when they look to move up one spot from the ECACs to claim the MEAC crown. Last season they fell one spot shy to Bethune-Cookman College who won the title and, like the Hawks, attended the NCAA Tournament.
View NJCU's coverage of the event with statistics and piece by piece details here.
Each school was allowed a 10-woman roster for the tournament. The scores from Saturday's three team games were combined with five individual scores from each of the three individual round games to determine a team score after day one of the championship. The top five scores of each school's 10 individuals counted towards the team score.
The ECAC® is the nation's largest athletic conference with 318 Divisions I, II, and III colleges and universities from Maine to North Carolina. Since its foundation 68 years ago, the ECAC has emerged as the nationwide leader in service. The headquarters, the Asa S. Bushnell Center, is located in Centerville, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. A non-profit service organization since 1938, the ECAC was founded as the Central Office for Eastern Intercollegiate Athletics with 58 charter members. In 1983, one of the most significant events in ECAC history occurred as the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW) was consolidated into the ECAC. Through the years the ECAC has been a leader both regionally and nationally.
See the following release for New Jersey City University's official recap of day one's events.
After a back-and-forth first day of competition at the 2006 Eastern College Athletic Conference Women's Bowling Championship, #2 ranked Fairleigh Dickinson University owns a slim 13-pin margin over rival and #4 ranked New Jersey City University, at AMF Midstate Lanes. NJCU, the host team for the ECAC championship, is the defending 2005 champion.
In what has largely been a three-team race, FDU owns a 6,664 to 6,651 pin lead over NJCU, and #8 ranked University of Maryland-Eastern Shore is very much a factor, just 53 back of FDU, at 6,611. FDU has an 1110.67 per game average. NJCU and UMES have 1108.5 and 1101.83 averages, respectively.
Morgan State University (5906) is 758 pins out of the lead, and currently in fourth place, while Sacred Heart University rounds out the top five (5863).
The first three games of the opening day were five-person traditional team games, and Morgan State, ranked No. 13, jumped out to the early lead after setting aside a 1093 count. FDU rolled an 1155 in the second game to grab a 19-point cushion over NJCU. After rolling scores of 1061 and 1123 in its first two games, the host Gothic Knights followed with a 1070 pinfall, and held a 41-pin lead over FDU and 101 over UMES, heading into the singles tournament.
During the three-game singles qualifying tournament, each clubs' top five individual scorers became its team scores for games four, five and six. NJCU notched a collective 1157 after game four, while FDU and the UMES rolled 1140 and 1172, respectively, and while the Gothic Knights continued to lead, all schools remained within 100 points of the top spot.
A remarkable 1233 by the Hawks in game five put Eastern Shore in front of NJCU by 26 pins. NJCU registered an 1121 in game five, but FDU's 1177 put the nation's No. 2 ranked team just two pins behind the hosts.
An 1134 in its final game of day one lifted FDU into the lead. NJCU chalked up 1119, while the Hawks finished with 1053.
All 57 active bowlers from the eight participating schools competed in the three-game singles tournament, with the top four advancing to the single-elimination semifinal round,
FDU junior Rebecca Ketcham (Staatsburg, NY/F.D. Roosevelt) cruised to first place with a 760 series and 253.33 per game average, as she totaled 264, 238 and 258. Ketcham had the highest overall score in games one and three. NJCU sophomore VICKI SPRATFORD (Hopelawn, NJ/Woodbridge) was second with a 708 series and 236 average, as she registered scores of 248, 247, and 213.
FDU senior Lisa Friscioni (Howell, NJ/Howell) was third with a 692 series (230.667, 217, 237, 238) and Howard University senior Clarissa Maddox (Woodbridge, VA/Hylton) claimed fourth place with a 685 pinfall (228.333, 247, 234, 204).
NJCU senior KATHLEEN WEISSMAN (Saddle Brook, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) was just seven pins back, finishing fifth with a 678 series. UMES senior Maryetta Lewis (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Wheatfield) had the highest overall score of the three-game qualifying, when she racked up a 267.
In the semifinals, the third-seeded Friscioni took an early lead on Spratford, and held off a late surge by the Gothic Knight anchor, to win 234-215. Ketcham downed Maddox, 224-192, in the other semifinal, to set up an all FDU final.
In the championship, Friscioni used three straight strikes in the third, fourth, and fifth frames to seize the advantage, and cruised to the title by defeating her teammate by 43 pins, 226-183.
NJCU was the lone unbeaten team in NCAA matches on Saturday, as the Gothic Knights (62-22-1) defeated Howard University (1061-897), UMES (1123-1050), and MSU (1070-992).
FDU, UMES, and MSU all went 2-1 in NCAA matches on day one. FDU (65-9) had wins over #15 Delaware State University (1048-940) and Howard University (1155-845), before falling to UMES, 1108-1010. UMES (64-35), which scored a 1050 against the Gothic Knights and amazingly still lost by 73 pins, also tallied a win over Saint Peter's College (995-946). Morgan State (55-42) downed #15 Sacred Heart (1093-960) and SPC (927-863) before losing to NJCU.
Day two of the championship begins on Sunday at 9:15 a.m. with three, four-game total pinfall Baker matches. The top four schools in the standings will advance to the semifinals, where the 2006 ECAC Championship will be decided in a single-elimination, best 3-out-of-5 Baker series.
Special thanks to Ira Thor and the New Jersey City University Sports Information Office.
