Nov. 2, 2009
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - It was a busy weekend for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore as bowling launched their season, volleyball continued theirs and the cross country teams hosted the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships.
BOWLING
The Lady Hawks posted an 11-2 mark, posted the best pinfall totals in traditional and Baker games and had three bowlers in the top ten in their opening weekend at the Fairleigh-Dickenson University Fright Knight Invite.
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.
Junior Maria Rodriguez (Ibague Tolima, Colombia) was sensational as 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 versus runner-up Nicole Drejerwski of eighth-ranked New Jersey City (NJCU).
Sophomore Paula Vilas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) was seventh overall with a 190.83 average while junior 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, ninth-ranked Sacred Heart and NJCU.
UMES recorded wins in 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.
The Baker games proved more difficulty for the Lady Hawks. On the opening day, they went 4-1 in the team format games and posted wins over no. 10 Kutztown (838-710), no. 13 Adelphi (762-645), host and no. 3 FDU (781-750) and Long Island (719-502). Their only loss on the day was to Florida A&M, 707-750.
On the final day of competition, UMES topped NJCU in traditional games before facing off against Kutztown, where they won four games to two in the best of seven format, posting a 236 in the final frame to clinch the win. They then dropped a 4-2 loss to Delaware State, handing the Hornets the championship trophy.
CROSS COUNTRY
The MEAC Championships were held Saturday morning in Princess Anne and the Hawk men placed fourth while the women's team tied for second.
UMES finished with 108 points in the men's eight-kilometer race with an average team time of 28:27.37. Junior Peter Sang (Kapsabet, Kenya) was the highest Hawk finisher with a time of 26:16.39, which was good for fifth overall.
In the women's five-kilometer race, the Lady Hawks finished tied for second place with North Carolina A&T with 74 points. UMES had an average team time of 19:50.98 while NCAT averaged 19:46.45. Junior Eunice Jones (Lanham, Md.) also finished first overall for the Lady Hawks and fifth overall with a time of 18:51.24.
Junior Amon Kiprotich (Kapsabet, Kenya) and sophomore Shadrack Maritim (Kericho, Kenya) joined Sang as medal-winners. Kiprotich ran a 26:28.61, which was good for sixth place while Maritim posted a 27:07.86, which was good for 10th overall.
Senior Solomon Kirongo (Nairobi, Kenya) placed 29th with a time of 28:58.40. Sophomore Johan Welter and junior Paul Jones-Burden (Rahway, N.J.) crossed 58th and 59th with respective times of 33:25.56 and 33:26.78.
The next Hawk finisher was freshman Maurice Cotton, running in his first collegiate cross country race, in 64th with a time of 34:15.47. Fellow freshman Terrance Burns (Franklinville, N.J.) crossed in 38:01.44, which was good for 70th while sophomore Jermol Dix (Catonsville, Md.) finished 73rd in 40:15.48.
Joining Jones in the women's medal ceremony were seniors Tamica Thomas (St. Catherine, Jamaica) and Celia Whyte (Manchester, Jamaica), who finished eighth and ninth. Thomas ran a 19:16.69 while Whyte crossed in 19:20.92.
Sophomore Cynthia Anais (Paris, France) finished 18th overall with a time of 20:06.58. Sophomore Jessica Abrantes (Scotch Plains, N.Y.) and freshman Emilie Ducados placed 34th and 40th with respective times of 21:39.46 and 21:50.24.
Freshman Jennell Wade (Randallstown, Md.) crossed 47th with a time of 22:41.90 while fellow freshman Melina Gallas was 52nd with a time of 23:06.31. Another freshman, Kenesha Abrams (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ran a 23:59.46, which was good for 60th.
VOLLEYBALL
Senior Caylin Woodward (Garden Grove, Calif.) recorded a triple-double of 10 kills, 10 digs and 10 assists as the volleyball team extended its winning streak to nine matches with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-20) win over Delaware State at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center on Friday.
The victory for UMES, which outhit the Hornets, .264-.156, improved the Hawks to 18-6, and 7-0 in the MEAC. The loss for DSU snapped a four-match winning streak and dropped the visitors to 15-12 and 5-2 in the conference.
Woodward's 10 kills tied for a match-high with DSU's Martina Ferrari while the Hawks' sophomore Christine Edwards (Lakewood, Calif.) registered a match-high 12 to go along with six digs.
Woodward led UMES with a .444 hitting percentage, including just two errors on 18 attacks. She also chipped in with a match-best four of the team's 12 service aces.
Freshman Bella Jade Romero (Arlington, Texas) had 24 of the UMES's 34 assists.
The Lady Hawks secured its third consecutive MEAC Northern Division title with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-15) win over Hampton at Holland Hall Sunday.
With the victory, UMES (19-6, 8-0) remained unbeaten in the conference and won its 10th straight match, a feat the Hawks had not completed since Sept. 20 through Oct. 2, 2009.
Edwards led the way with 11 kills and 15 attacks for the Hawks, who had a season-high .453 hitting percentage (37 kills, 64 attacks, eight errors). UMES held the Lady Pirates (8-17, 3-5) to .077 from the floor.
Freshman Karin Vikterlof (Orebro, Sweden) recorded a match-high 15 digs as UMES dug Hampton, 24-16, on the day. The Hawks also won the blocking battle, 2.5-1.0, and had four more aces (7-3) than the hosts.
Woodward followed up her triple-double against Delaware State Friday with nine kills, three digs, two assists and one ace.
Romero had 22 of UMES's 32 assists for the match.
The Hawks hit a match-best .533 with nine kills and one error on 15 attacks in the first game. Woodward gave UMES a 17-7 lead on a kill assisted by Romero, before running off eight of the final 14 points of the game.
UPCOMING WEEK (Nov. 3-9)
Men's basketball hosts an exhibition contest against Stevenson on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Lady Hawks bowling team heads into their first conference match-up facing the MEAC's Northern Division in Hampton, Va. on Saturday and Sunday.
The men's and women's cross country teams have off again this next weekend as they prepare for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, which will be held at UMES on Saturday, Nov. 14. The men's race begins at noon and the women run at 1:15 p.m.
Volleyball returns home to take on Coppin State Friday at 7 p.m. and Howard at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center.
For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visit www.umeshawks.com.
