HOUSTON — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's bowling team battled through the three-day Track Kat Klash tournament and finished with a 7-6 overall record while earning sixth place after Sunday's championship bracket.
The Hawks started the weekend on a strong note, finishing their Baker matches with a 4-1 record, defeating eventual tournament winner Sam Houston State (947-930), Texas Southern (970-719), Arkansas State (954-886) and Jackson State (896-850). UMES' only loss on the opening day came against Stephen F. Austin, 984-904.
The second day of competition saw a tougher road for UMES, however, as the Hawks went 2-3 for the day with wins against McKendree (914-904) and Prairie View A&M (919-837). On the flip side, the Hawks lost closely contested matches against Southern (910-901), Tulane (897-896) and Louisiana Tech (985-949).
Coming into Championship Sunday, the Hawks barely missed the cut for the Top 4 and a chance to compete for the tournament championship by 10 pins with a total pinfall of 9,250 after the first two days of competition.
UMES began the final day with a decisive 4-0 win against Maryville University, but ultimately dropped its final two matches against Louisiana Tech (4-0) and Tulane (4-2) to finish in sixth for the tournament.
Junior Mariana Santos Rivero led the Hawks with a pinfall total of 1,012 (202.4 average) and finished sixth individually among the 133 registered individual bowlers. Santos Rivero was just two pins short of tying for fifth place and a spot on the all-tournament team.
Freshman Mariane Almeida finished in 24th with a total pinfall of 950 (190 average) while Gabriella Ochoa Hubbard came in 30th with a 923 total (184.6). Brooke Driver finished 35th with a 909 total (181.8) while Ara Pitts finished 56th with a total of 785 (157).
Through three tournaments, so far, the Hawks are 24-13 on the season.
UMES will next travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, for conference play in the two-day MEAC No. 1 tournament on Nov. 9 and 10. For all Hawk bowling results, visit - https://umeshawksports.com/sports/womens-bowling/schedule
