Jan. 24, 2016 READING, Pa. - An unexpected 24 hour break due to Winter Storm Jonas may have been a source of help to the Hawks' bowling squad. The refueled team rebounded Sunday with an improved performance in individuals, winning three of five matches while coming in 8th place out of 17 teams.
Because five fewer teams participated in the final day, and because a handful of participants did not bowl five rounds Sunday, standings from Friday and Sunday were not meshed together.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) bowlers won with consistency, scoring between 900-1,000 pins in every matchup. It all began with a 984-935 victory over #17 Valparaiso, followed by losses to #7 Wisconsin-Whitewater and #3 Vanderbilt. The Hawks would get back on track with a 910-891 squeaker over MEAC foe Bethune-Cookman before closing out with their highest total of the day-a 993-857 victory over the hosts, #16 Kutztown.
For the second consecutive week, freshman Danielle August (Mililani, Hawaii) led the team in the individual rounds, accumulating a total pinfall of 1,072. The reigning ECAC Bowler of the Week bolstered her score with two strong games of 254 and 234, tallying the top two scores of the day. August's efforts earned her a place on the Second All-Tournament Team, finishing eighth amongst all bowlers at the event.
Sophomore Jalesa Johnson (Delmar, Del.) knocked over 928 pins this weekend, including a 201 game in the victory over Kutztown, and freshman Jacqueline Rhoda (Portage, Ind.) also bowled in all five individual matches, ending the session with a total pinfall of 916 with a game high of 203 against Bethune-Cookman. Another sophomore, Melanie Copey (Ontario, N.Y.) registered the third highest single game of the day with a 227 against Kutztown.
UMES hopes to take this momentum and improve on it some more when they travel to Texas next weekend for the Prairie View A&M Invitational.
