March 14, 2011
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. -- The Hawks men's and women's basketball teams travelled to Winston-Salem to compete in the annual MEAC Tournament for a chance at the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, baseball, softball, bowling and tennis all hit the road to continue their season. Plus this week, outdoor track is set to begin their spring season.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The UMES men's basketball team got the 10-seed in the MEAC Tournament, facing 7-seed Florida A&M on the first day. After a thrilling double overtime game, the Hawks emerged victorious over the Rattlers 89-87 to advance to the next round. However, UMES fell to 2-seed and eventual tournament champion Hampton 77-55 to conclude their season at 9-22.
Kevin White (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the way against Florida A&M, scoring 22 points with seven assists, including going 10-for-12 from the free throw line. Hillary Haley (Oxon Hill, Md.) got a double-double against the Rattlers with 17 points and 10 boards, including the game-tying three towards the end of the first overtime. Tyler Hines (Sicklerville, N.J.) scored a combined 16 points and 17 boards in the two games.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Lady Hawks entered the MEAC Tournament as the 7-seed, playing 10-seed Delaware State in the opening round. In a big and forth battle, UMES used a late run to pull away from the Hornets 52-44 to advance to the second round. Despite coming back from down 12 at the half to take a lead, the Lady Hawks were barely edged out by 2-seed Morgan State 43-39. UMES ended their season at 12-19 overall.
Adobi Agbasi (Columbus, Ga.) ended her season with two strong performances, combining for 22 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks in the tournament. LaKendra Wilkerson (Greensboro, N.C.) nearly had a double-double against Delaware State with nine points and 11 boards. Casey Morton (Mardela Springs, Md.) ends her stellar career with UMES, being one of only four players to score more than 1,000 points for the Lady Hawks.
BOWLING
UMES dominated the competition in the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Sectional Qualifier in Euless, Texas over the weekend. Kristina Frahm (Oswego, Ill.) had the top finish with the Hawks earning the top three places plus five in the top-12.
With the top three finishers, each will qualify for the Intercollegiate Singles Championships. Frahm finished with a total pinfall of 1,339, including a game high 265. Maria Rodriguez (Ibague Tolima, Colombia) tied for second place with a total score of 1,305, starting with a sectional-high 277 in the first game. Also tying for second place with 1,305 pins was Megan Buja (Rockford, Ill.), who got a 258 in her third game bowled.
Paula Vilas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) had a strong finish of ninth place with a total pinfall of 1,219. Martha Perez (Bogota, Colombia) knocked down 1,194 pins combined in the six games, good for 12th place.
BASEBALL
The Hawks headed north for the first time this season to face the Owls of Temple University in Philadelphia. UMES fell on Wednesday 14-1, falling to 1-12 on the season.
Bryan Chaikowsky (Bethlehem, Pa.) scored the lone UMES run, hurrying from second to score on an error from left field. Zachary Saca (Elk Grove, Calif.) pitched five innings in relief, allowing just two earned runs and striking out three.
SOFTBALL
Despite a solid overall pitching performance, UMES fell in four contests in the Norfolk State Spartan Classic. The Hawks lost to Marist 4-2, St. Francis (PA) 5-0, Delaware 13-2 (6) and Norfolk State 4-1.
Carmen Gurrola (Arleta, Calif.) picked up two losses but had solid pitching performances, allowing just six earned runs in 12 innings thrown with five strikeouts. Charlise Castro (Saugerties, N.Y.) hit 3-for-6 on day two including a pair of doubles and two runs scored.
TENNIS
The men's and women's tennis teams played three matches the previous week, including starting MEAC play during the weekend.
The men's squad fell in each match, getting defeated by Winston-Salem State 6-1, then later in conference play to Howard 5-2 and Morgan State 7-0 at home. Malcolm Johnson (Silver Spring, Md.) picked up a victory against WSSU and narrowly lost in his singles match to Morgan State.
After losses to Winston-Salem State and Howard 7-0, the women's team played very well against Morgan State, just missing victory in a 4-3 defeat. Arshell Jackson (Easton, Md.) picked up her second win of the season in singles play with a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Morgan State, same with Alisia Belt (Suitland, Md) also getting a 6-0, 6-1 win over Morgan.
UPCOMING WEEK (MAR. 14-20)
The bowling team will look to ride their Northern Division win to a conference title as they compete in the MEAC Championships down in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Hawks will look to win and solidify their place in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks baseball squad returns home for a doubleheader against Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday, March 15th starting at 1:00 p.m. Then this weekend, UMES will get back on the road for a three-game series against the University of Richmond. Friday's game begins at 3:00 p.m., the matchup on Saturday will start at 2:00 p.m. and the first pitch on Sunday is set for 1:00 p.m. All games are scheduled to be broadcast on the Hawks Radio Network.
UMES softball will play their first home games of the season on Wednesday, March 16th as the Hawks host Marist for a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. Then this weekend on Saturday, March 19th and Sunday, March 20th, the Hawks will compete in the Demarini Capital Classic, hosted by Delaware State in Dover. The Hawks will play a pair of games against the Hornets and the Eagles of North Carolina Central.
The outdoor track team will begin their season this week with the two-day Wake Forest Open down in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Friday, March 18th and Saturday, March 19th.
Golf will play their lone tournament in the month of March with the Florida A&M Invitational down in Tallahassee. This is the third of five tournaments the team is set to play in this spring.
The men's and women's tennis teams will continue their home slate with two matches in Princess Anne this week. On Monday, March 15th, UMES hosts a MEAC tilt with Coppin State at 1:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, March 20th, the Hawks will face Virginia State at 1:00 p.m. for a non-conference match.
