TOWSON, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's bowling team clinched their seventh Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Northern Division title this past weekend in Towson, Maryland, as the Hawks went 9-1, to improve their conference record to 29-1 on the season and 74-39 overall. They will enter the MEAC Championships later this month as the No. 1 overall team in Chesapeake, Va., bowling for their eighth conference championship.

The Hawks technically clinched the title on Saturday after a 4-1 day in team games. No. 2- Delaware State claimed runner up honors for the division, entering the event 15-5 in league play and needing to top UMES to have a hope of winning. But the pins fell for the Hawks on that first day as UMES came away with a 1009-1008 win, with that one pin, wrapping up the division.

The Hawks went on to roll through Hampton (1075-786), Morgan State (1,110-1,054) and Coppin State (1,045-733). Their only loss was the opener to Howard, when UMES fell 1118-1101. Ironically, UMES has only rolled 35 team games in school history of 1,100 or better, so despite posting one, Howard was on fire to shoot 1,118 and hand UMES their only blemish on the league season.

Senior Victoria Jones (Baltimore, Md.) was comfortable bowling near her home, leading UMES with a 1,097 pin fall to average over a 219 on the day. Her 249 against Morgan State was a season high and the high game of the day for any Hawk. Junior Thashaina Seraus (Oranjestad, Aruba) wasn't far behind with a 1,080 pin count, to average a 216. Her 236 against Howard was the best of her very consistent day. The senior trio of Mariana Alvarado (Leon, Mexico), Valerie Riggin (Vista, Calif.) and Tatiana Munoz (Ibague Tolima, Colombia) were all solid, putting up pin falls of 1,070, 1,061 and 1,033 respectively. All five bowlers improved their season average with Friday's outing.

On Sunday, the Hawks were again dominant. Head Coach Kayla Bandy never juggled her lineup in the five-game Baker format. Jones, Riggin, Munoz, Seraus and Alvarado stayed consistent all day long, never giving her a reason to change with the exception of freshman Melanie Copey (Ontario, N.Y.) seeing time in the first match as a substitute.

UMES rolled through Coppin State (989-780), Morgan State (1057-915), Hampton (1116-805), #20 Delaware State (1056-1043) and Howard (1087-940). The win over Hampton was the third highest score in school history in the five-game Baker format while the 1087 vs. Howard was the fifth highest. In fact the 1057 and 1056 scores were also in the top ten, spelling a dominant day for UMES.

"We bowled well and we bowled with confidence," said Bandy. "We put up some impressive numbers and hope to carry this success over into the Music City Classic next weekend." The Hawks head to Nashville, this weekend, Friday-Sunday to face a tough field in what is the last regular season event. They will then bowl in a series of championships, including the ECAC and MEAC Conference Championships and hope performances at those three events earn them a bid to the NCAA Championships in April.