DAYTON, Ohio — The season opening tournament for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore bowling team was designed to be an icebreaker, attempting to give a team that is 80% newcomers a chance to mesh and gel before competing in some more crucial weekends down the road. Not only did the UPIKE Orange and Black weekend succeed in fulfilling the mission of teambuilding, it also proved that this new crop of players can immediately make an impact at a high level. The Hawks were in first place after individuals on day one before earning a #2 seed entering bracket play on Sunday. In the end, the team lost to Urbana University (Ohio) in the bracket rounds to come in fifth out of 26 teams.

"We have lots to build on from this weekend." Hawks head coach Kayla Bandy remarked. "Communication was impressive, especially for student athletes that were competing together for the first time."

Coming together was evident from the word "go" in Dayton, beginning with the blazing start in the first set of individual games Saturday. Senior Thashaina Seraus (Oranjestad, Aruba) opened her campaign with a 245 and three other Hawks, all of them newcomers-freshmen Jacqueline Rhoda (Portage, Ind.), Haley Cummings (Huber Heights, Ohio) and Kaci Collins (Mint Hill, N.C.)-managed scores over 200 in their collegiate debuts. Rhoda and Cummings earned 225 apiece while Collins bowled a 216. The Hawks rolled over Morehead in the first ten frames, 1081-886.

UMES would go own to achieve a perfect 5-0 day on Saturday, with several other Hawks earning high marks. Seraus would lead in the second matchup with a 234, and in the third set of frames with a 232. Sophomore Melanie Copey (Ontario, N.Y.) started out in the high 100s but muscled a 223 in game three, followed by a team high 236 in the fourth game. Freshman Danielle August (Milalani, Hawaii) bowled her first collegiate frames with the Hawks in game four and impressed with a 213.

Overall, the Hawks achieved a total pinfall of 5,150, edging host Pikeville by eight pins for the lead after Saturday.

On Sunday, Baker matches began with four games each against four teams, and the Hawks managed to hold their own during this long stretch. First up was Ohio State, which proved to be an easy sweep for the Hawks. The team of Copey, August, Rhoda, Cummings and Seraus achieved an 804-588 victory over the Buckeyes.

Collins replaced August in the rotation for the second Baker match, and with a Sunday high of 275 in the third set of frames, the Hawks easily tamed the North Kentucky Norse with a 840-605 decision. Lindsey Wilson was the Hawks next opponent, and despite the fresh arm of freshman Quianna Macares (Willemstad, Curacao) joining in, the team perhaps showed some fatigue as their score dropped to 766. UMES still defeated their opponent to stay perfect on the weekend, but unfortuntaley that was not to last.

In the final Baker matchup, although the team trotted out the initial matchup that handily took care of Ohio State, the quintet struggled to a 670, and the Hawks would fall to Campbellsville. Nevertheless, the Hawks earned a #2 seed entering bracket play among the top eight in the field.

Facing Urbana University, UMES fought hard in the first match to ultimately lose by eight, but would fight back with wins in games two and three in the best of five. However, the Blue Knights would edge the Hawks in the fourth and fifth games, and even though UMES knocked down two more pins than their opponents, Urbana won the bracket matchup, 3-2, relegating the bowlers from Princess Anne to fifth.

Despite the tougher outing on day two, Coach Bandy still believes there are many positives to take away from the weekend. "At times, we could have improved on converting spares, but despite a few missed opportunities here and there, we were able to lead the tournament for a majority of the event by focusing on the process and our goals along the way. We have laid a good foundation this weekend."

With their mission accomplished the young Hawks will rest from tournament play this weekend and sharpen their skills in preparation for the New Jersey Jamboree, hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson University and set to begin on October 30^th.