Bowling finished fifth overall out of eleven teams at their second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) meet of the season at AMF All-Star Lanes in Greensboro, NC which stretched across Saturday and Sunday.
“We improved our overall average this weekend for the regular season conference rounds, but still have work to do to be at our best for the MEAC Championships next month,” said Director of Bowling Karen Grygiel.
Monmouth, ranked 22nd, kicked off the meet with three straight wins in traditional play.
After conquering Norfolk State by a score of 867-812 and Howard 901-765, the Hawks earned a huge victory over No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore. The 966-914 win was also Monmouth’s highest pin total in a match over the weekend.
The Hawks dropped their last two games in traditional play, falling to the No. 14 University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) 851-901 and Coppin State by just twenty pins, 869-889.
Monmouth continued their losing form into baker format, where they lost two in a row to two more nationally-ranked teams. Twelfth-ranked Delaware State defeated the Hawks 878-905 and No. 10 North Carolina A&T beat Monmouth by nearly 100 pins at 960-868.
The Blue and White were finally able to bounce back with their largest win of the tournament, 845-532 over Bethune-Cookman, before closing out the weekend with an 819-853 loss to Morgan State.
The Hawks finished their second MEAC meet of the season with a record of 4-5 in a tournament that saw them face four ranked opponents. Monmouth’s win over No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore was their eighth win against a top-ten team this season. The Hawks finished fifth overall in pins per game, averaging 175.84 pins.
Sophomore Camelia Coffman led Monmouth as she averaged 195.40 pins over the five games in traditional format that she featured in, seeing her finish third overall at the meet. Coffman added her sixth and seventh 200-plus pin games of the season, posting a high of 215.
Junior Kyla Day claimed the accolade of most pins in a game for the Hawks last weekend as she bowled a 220 during traditional play. Day has now accumulated ten 200-plus games this season.
Senior Haley Solberg also put in two 200-plus performances, totaling her to twelve on the year, while freshman Saige Yamada put in her fourth 200-plus game of the season with a 203 finish.
Bowling will be back in action this weekend as they are set to host the Hawk Flight Invite at King Pin Bowling in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, which will take place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
PHOTO COURTESY of Monmouth Athletics
