March 20, 2012
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - It was a tough week for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore athletics program this past week. Despite an abundance of losses, the Hawks saw several solid performances from a few different student-athletes. The week also saw a plethora of action as every spring sports team was involved in competition.
Let's take a look at action from this past week:
WOMEN'S TENNIS
The women's tennis team was swept in a pair of MEAC doubleheaders by Coppin State and Norfolk State.
The women saw exciting play from senior Solana McMillan, who narrowly fell in No. 1 singles by scores of 6-4, 6-4 to Coppin in the first match. McMillan teamed up with junior Shamara McKenzie to fall in top-doubles by a score of 8-5. UMES picked up its only win of the day when sophomores Arshelle Jackson and Enjoli Simmons won 8-1 in second-doubles.
After losing 4-1 in the first match, the Hawks fell 6-0 in the second match.
UMES concluded its week with 6-0 and 5-0 losses to Norfolk State on Sunday.
MEN'S TENNIS
The men's tennis team went 0-6 this week.
The men began the week with 7-0 and 5-0 losses at Coppin State, before traveling to Durham, N.C., for spring break. The Hawks would drop a 6-0 decision to North Carolina Central and a 7-0 decision to Florida A&M on Saturday. The men concluded the week by being swept by Norfolk State, 7-0 and 4-0, on Sunday.
UMES managed to pick up two points in its loss to NC Central, as sophomore Wirlen Elame made his Hawk debut with a 6-1, 6-0 loss at No. 3 singles.
SOFTBALL
UMES began its week by seeing its doubleheader against Siena (N.Y.) College postponed due to poor field conditions.
Following the postponement, the Hawks traveled to Hampton, Va., to participate in the Lady Pirates Classic. The Hawks played four games in the event, where they would drop each contest.
UMES fell 9-1 against Hampton in the opener on Friday, before being swept in a doubleheader by Central Connecticut State on Saturday. The women concluded the tournament with a 9-0 loss to the hosts on Sunday.
Senior CyAnna Scott was the top Hawk performer on the week as she made 12 putouts and one assists in three games of errorless softball. She was one of two Hawks to pick up a hit in UMES' second game against Hampton.
Junior Carmen Gurrola fired all three games for UMES this week. She allowed just three earned runs in five innings against Hampton in the final game of the tournament for the Hawks.
OUTDOOR TRACK
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore outdoor track and field team opened its 2012 season with a record breaking performance at the Wake Forest Open. Senior Cynthia Anais set a new school record for UMES in the 1,500m run with a time of 4:28.83.
Anais provided the first of two first-place finishes for the Hawks in the event.
Junior Vanessa Henry took the top spot in the shot put with a distance of 16.37 meters.
On the men's side, sophomore Rico Taylor finished third in the triple jump with a height of 2.02 meters. Freshman Owen Cain took fifth with his best attempt of 1.92 meters in the triple jump, and finished with a top-10 jump in the long jump with a finish of 6.83 meters.
GOLF
The results of the golf team's action in the Florida A&M Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla., were not available before press time.
BASEBALL
The baseball team went 0-5 last week.
The Hawks were swept in two games by Mount St. Mary's (Md.), 11-6 and 6-0, on Friday. UMES would conclude the week by traveling to Norfolk, Va., where the Hawks fell in three consecutive contests.
Sophomore Zachary Saca was the bright spot for UMES on the week. Saca opened the week with a three-inning stint against Mount St. Mary's (Md.) on Monday, before tossing 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against Norfolk State on Saturday.
He fanned one and allowed three hits in the Saturday's opener. The sophomore capped the week by going 4 2/3 innings against the Spartans with one strikeout and one hit allowed on Sunday.
Sophomore Stephen Bull is currently riding a seven-game hit streak, while senior Jacob Foreman fanned seven in a complete game loss to Norfolk State in Friday's nightcap.
Saca's efforts helped him in being distinguished as the men's recipient of this week's PRMC UMES Athlete of the Week. This is the first time this year he has been honored with the award.
BOWLING
UMES had a rare "off weekend" at the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships. But the timing was terrible, as it meant they would not repeat as the conference champions, missing out on their sixth title, falling in the semi-final round of the 2012 Championship to Bethune-Cookman.
In the semifinal round, the Hawks just weren't themselves, posting subpar scores, falling 213-190 in game two, 204-155 in game three, 152-139 in game four and 190-171 in the final game five.
Junior Anggie Ramirez was the one bright spot for UMES this weekend.
She led UMES to a 4-1 record on Friday, where she knocked down 804 pins in four games started. She posted three games of over 200 on day one, including a 220 against Morgan State in the opener. She served as the first bowler in the majority of the Hawks' matches this weekend.
Ramirez's efforts helped her in being distinguished as the women's recipient of this week's PRMC UMES Athlete of the Week. This is the first time in 2012 that she has been honored with the award.
Senior Paula Vilas was selected as this week's spotlight student-athlete in UMES' newest column, A Walk with a HawkÃÆ'Æ'Æ'¢ÃÆ'Æ'¢'¬¦ Her column can be viewed here.
For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visit www.umeshawks.com
