PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Coming off a MEAC Championship, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore bowling team is looking to defend its title while garnering preseason recognition.
After earning Second Team All-MEAC honors last year, Mariana Santos Rivero has been named to the 2024-25 MEAC Preseason All-Conference team. She maintained a 20.15 points per frame average a season ago while scoring 372 strikes on 753 attempts. She also converted over 70% of her spare opportunities.
In a quest to repeat the program's championship run, with first-year head coach Ronald Simms Jr. now at the helm, the Hawks enter the season predicted to finish second in the MEAC. UMES garnered 109 points and a pair of first place votes.
North Carolina A&T, last year's runners-up at the MEAC Championship, is projected to finish first with 124 points and 14 first place votes while the team's Maya Avilez was named the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.
Delaware State was picked to finish third with 93 points while UAB is projected to finish fourth with 72. Morgan State is projected to finish fifth with 68 points while Howard (46), Norfolk State (33) and Coppin State (31) round out the remainder of the conference's projections.
The full list of MEAC preseason honors are as follows:
MEAC Preseason Player of the Year – Maya Avilez, North Carolina A&T State
MEAC Preseason Bowling All-Conference Team
Name, School
Maya Avilez, North Carolina A&T State
Chloe Newberry, North Carolina A&T State
Mariana Santos Rivero, Maryland Eastern Shore
Sydney Reardon, Delaware State
Melanie Katen, North Carolina A&T State
Order of Finish
School Points
North Carolina A&T 124 (14)
Maryland Eastern Shore 109 (2)
Delaware State 93
UAB 72
Morgan State 68
Howard 46
Norfolk State 33
Coppin State 31