TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 16 Norfolk State bowling team captured the MEAC Southern Division title over the weekend, posting an overall 7-3 record at Galimore Lanes at the third and final MEAC regular season meet hosted by Florida A&M.
NSU carried a 13-3 MEAC record into the meet, then went 5-3 against teams currently in the league this weekend to finish 18-6 for the season. Florida A&M finished second in the Southern Division with a 14-10 record. The Rattlers finished 5-5 overall on the weekend.
The Spartans defeated North Carolina Central twice this weekend, but those matches do not count toward the league record. NC Central officially joins the MEAC for the 2011-12 academic year.
Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State each went 5-4 over the weekend after going 4-1 on the first day of action. North Carolina Central (4-6) and North Carolina A&T (3-7) rounded out the field.
The win marks the second time NSU has captured the Southern Division regular season crown. The Spartans won the title in 2008-09 when they posted a 14-10 record, edging out North Carolina A&T and FAMU by one game.
Already with its highest ranking ever at No. 16 in the NTCA top 20 poll, NSU also ran its overall record to 35-18 on the season as the Spartans are primed for their best season ever with more than two months left until the MEAC Championships March 18-20.
After a tough start to the weekend, NSU posted a 3-2 mark Saturday in team play, and then finished things off with a 4-1 record in Baker play Sunday.
Individually, sophomore Jessica Overton bowled three games on Saturday and averaged 194.7 to lead the way for the Spartans, including a career-high 236 in her first game. Freshman Thea Aspiras bowled a pair of 200 games on the way to a 186.6 average in five games.
Also coming up big for NSU was junior Sheila-Marie Smith with a 176.6 average, sophomore Lauren Graupmann with a 173.8 average, and junior Chelsea Krall, who also bowled all five games and carded a 172.6 average. Smith also bowled a pair of 200 games on Saturday.
Senior Antoinette Drakeford rolled the other two games in place of Overton and posted a 169.5 average.
The Spartans started things off Saturday with a pair of losses, dropping a decision to South Carolina State, 885-847, and then falling to Bethune-Cookman, 911-856. NSU seized momentum back with three straight wins to close out the day, easily taking down FAMU, 988-818, North Carolina A&T, 913-769, and North Carolina Central, 867-725.
NSU stayed hot on the second day of action in Baker play, defeating S.C. State in five games, 4-1, before a 4-2 defeat of Bethune-Cookman. FAMU got the better of the Spartans, 4-2, after NSU had won the first two games. NSU wrapped up play with a 4-2 defeat of N.C. A&T and a 4-1 win over North Carolina Central.
NSU will get a two-week break before heading to the Lady Bulldog Classic Jan. 22-23 in Laurel, Md., and hosted by Bowie State.
