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