Nov. 2, 2009
ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. - After a disastrous start to the season last year at the Fright Knight Invite, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) was determined to make a statement about their new squad at this year's event. Statement made. The Hawks posted an 11-2 mark, posted the best pinfall totals in traditional and Baker games and had three bowlers in the top ten.
UMES used a dominating performance in the traditional games, posting a 6-0 mark. Five of those six were all ranked in the top 20 in the nation in the latest National Tenpins Coaches Association (NTCA) poll. The Hawks did it with ease, notching three games in the 1,000s.
Maria Rodriguez (Ibague Tolima, Colombia) was sensational. She blistered the field with a 1,352 pinfall and a 225.33 average to earn All-Star status for the event. Her totals were 146 pins better than second place and over 24 pins better in average vs. runner-up Nicole Drejerwski of no. 8 New Jersey City (NJCU).
She wasn't alone. Paula Vilas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) was seventh overall with a 190.83 average and Martha Perez (Bogota, Colombia) was tenth, posting a 186.67 mark. Combined, the three posted eight games over 200 with Rodriguez leading the team with a 277 against Bethune-Cookman. She would tally four of those 200 plus games while Vilas had a high of 224 and three games over the 200 plateau. Perez rolled her high, a 200 against no. 9 Sacred Heart.
UMES would record wins in those traditional games against no. 15 Morgan State, no. 16 Wisconsin-Whitewater, no. 6 Delaware State, Bethune-Cookman, no. 9 Sacred Heart and no. 8 NJCU.
It was the Baker games that UMES faltered slightly. On the opening day the Hawks went 4-1 in the team format games. They posted wins over no. 10 Kutztown (838-710), no. 13 Adelphi (762-645), host and no. 3 Fairleigh Dickinson (781-750) and Long Island (719-502). Their only loss on the day was to Florida A&M (707-750). The Hawks have had a little trouble with the Rattlers of late, losing to them in the semi-finals of the 2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament and missing the finals for the first time in five seasons.
On the final day of competition, they topped NJCU in traditional games before facing off against Kutztown. They won that match-up four games to two in the best of seven format, posting a 236 in the final frame to clinch the win. The only other blemish on the wings of the Hawks for the weekend was in the final. They dropped a 4-2 loss to Delaware State handing DSU the championship trophy despite the Hornets having finished third in pinfall and posting a 9-4 overall mark.
"I am excited about the way we bowled," said Head Coach Sharon Brumell. "I think we went out to prove that we were back among the top few teams in the nation this weekend and we did that. We had the best record at the event by far and the highest pinfall by over 200 pins. I would have liked to take home the trophy but that 11-2 mark is more important to making the field for NCAAs then the final standings of the event."
UMES now heads into their first conference match-up facing the MEAC's Northern Division in Hampton, Va. November 7-8, 2009.
