ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. – A solid first day of play propelled the No. 17 Norfolk State bowling team to an eventual sixth-place finish at the ECAC Championships over the weekend.
The Spartans posted a 4-2 record on the first day of competition Saturday and earned the fourth seed heading into bracket play on Sunday. NSU dropped all three matches on that second day to earn its sixth-place finish.
All six bowlers for NSU had at least a 182 average on Saturday as the Spartans picked up three wins over teams ranked ahead of them in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association poll. NSU's two losses came against teams ranked No. 8 and No. 1 in the poll.
Freshman Thea Aspiras led NSU with a 204.7 average in all six games, while sophomores Jessica Overton and Lauren Graupmann also had a solid tournament. Overton rolled a 197.0 average in five games, while Graupmann competed in all six and averaged 195.0. Graupmann rolled a collegiate-high 237 over the weekend.
Junior Chelsea Krall carried a 188.2 average in five games, and senior Tiffany Hunt (182.2 average in six games) and junior Sheila-Marie Smith (182.5 average in two games) also performed well for the Spartans.
A win over No. 7 New Jersey City, 956-891, got the ball rolling for the Spartans on Saturday. No. 1-ranked Fairleigh Dickinson topped NSU by a 1,045-917 score before the Spartans rattled off three straight wins. NSU defeated No. 15 St. Francis (NY), 970-896, and then had its best game of the day, topping Monmouth, 1,025-876.
No. 13 Adephi was NSU's next victim, 956-881, but in the last game of the day the Spartans lost by just five pins to No. 8 Kutztown, 963-958.
On Sunday, fourth-seeded NSU fell in Baker play to third-seeded and No. 16-ranked Delaware State, 4 games to 2. The Spartans moved on in the bracket and faced New Jersey City for the second time in two days. NSU fell by 22 pins in the seventh and final game as New Jersey City won, 4-3. St. Francis got a measure of revenge in the last round, knocking off NSU, 4-2.
The 2010-11 season will wind down in three weeks as the Spartans compete in the MEAC Championships March 18-20 in Greensboro, N.C., looking to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships in mid-April.
