PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore remains firmly on the mind of the rest of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference heading into the 2018-19 NCAA Bowling season, despite the addition of two new teams to the conference tenpins roster.

Senior Alexandra Hernandez (Maracaibo, Venezuela) was voted to the All-MEAC squad and The Shore was picked to finish second in the conference behind North Carolina A&T State.
"She has worked hard since being here with us on The Shore," head coach Kayla Bandy said. "In her Senior season, I look for us to build on her experience and talent to be successful. This pre-season the girls have worked diligently alongside Alexandra and I know Alexandra shares this honor with all of her teammates."

Hernandez Stepped to the forefront of the Hawks squad in her second season claiming the anchor role and winning First-Team All-MEAC Honors. She was a MEAC All-Academic honoree, team MVP at Harry's Awards. She led the NCAA in Anchor 10th Frame Fill Percentage (91.4 percent).  Hernandez also finished the season ranked No. 31 in the NCAA in the NTCA's Player Composite Performance Index, No. 45 in the NCAA with a 195.44 traditional average,  No. 14 in the NCAA in Baker Individual Fill Percentage (86.6 percent), No. 9 in NCAA in Individual Spare Conversion Percentage (74.4 percent), No. 12 in NCAA in Baker Individual Spare Conversion Percentage (75.2 percent), No. 7 in NCAA in Individual Split Leave Percentage (6.7 percent), 13th in NCAA among anchor bowlers in 10th Frame Average (20.457).

The Hawks finished last season with a 79-44 overall record and were 18-6 in the MEAC. Eastern Shore fell to the Aggies at the MEAC Championship.

"(The vote) was a fair outcome based on coaches' reflection on our performance at the MEAC Championship last season," Bandy said. "We have a solid group of student athletes returning this season, the addition of a solid freshman, and with the potential for two additional additions to the roster in January, I am confident in our ability to perform as the 'underdog' based on the preseason vote. We are hungry for development of our student athletes, progress is inevitable."

All awards were voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Delaware State junior Alexis Neuer was named the MEAC Preseason Bowler of the Year.
 
Neuer is the reigning MEAC Bowler of the Year, coming off a sophomore campaign in which she averaged more than 204 pins a game in traditional play and led the Hornets to their second straight MEAC Northern Division regular-season title. She led all MEAC bowlers last season with a single-game high of 296, which she rolled at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Sectionals en route to earning a berth to the USBC National Collegiate Singles Championships for the second straight season.
 
The 2018-19 season will see the end of division play, as the MEAC's 11 bowling institutions – including new associate members Monmouth and University of Alabama Birmingham – will compete in a pair of conference round-ups during the regular season. The first will be in Dover, Delaware on Nov. 10-11, and the other will be held Feb. 23-24 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
 
Joining Neuer on the Preseason All-MEAC Team are Maryland Eastern Shore's Alexandra Hernandez, Ana Olaya and Cameron Strombeck of North Carolina A&T State and Taylor Russell from UAB.
 
Predicted Order of Finish
First-place votes in parentheses
 
1. North Carolina A&T State (10) — 224 points
2. Maryland Eastern Shore (6) — 205
3. Delaware State (4) — 194
4. UAB — 170
5. Monmouth (1) — 151
6. Norfolk State — 128
7. Morgan State (1) — 106
8. Florida A&M — 100
9. Howard — 80
10. Coppin State — 50
11. Bethune-Cookman — 44
 
 
For more information on Eastern Shore Athletics visit http://www.easternshorehawks.com/.