DELAND, Fla. – The No. 15 Norfolk State bowling team surged ahead of the rest of the pack in the MEAC Southern Division after finishing the weekend a perfect 8-0 at the second of three divisionals to be held this year.

The Spartans came into the weekend tied with Florida A&M and North Carolina A&T for first place, but an 8-0 showing over the two day Southern Divisional at the Sunshine Bowling Lanes moved NSU into sole possession of first place.

N.C. A&T finished second this weekend with a 6-2 record and now stands 11-5 on the year, two games behind 13-3 Norfolk State. The Spartans finished more than 200 pins ahead of N.C. A&T in the final standings.

The Spartans, who have won four of the last five Southern Division crowns, had a bounce-back meet after falling short of expectations at the first divisional in November. On Saturday in team play, three different players averaged better than 190, led by freshman Nicole Rivera Santiago at 208.8.

Senior Thea Aspiras averaged 203.0 in five games as well, including the team's bye, while junior Kelsea Yarbrough posted a 195.0 average in five games. Juniors Delilah Bethel and Ashley Buck also came up big, with Bethel finishing the day with a 187.0 average in five games and Buck tallying a 188.7 average in three.

N.C. A&T came closest to knocking off the Spartans on day 1, falling 914-900 to NSU in the Spartans' third official game of the day. Norfolk State defeated North Carolina Central 984-838 and Florida A&M 957-899, with the bye in between, prior to the victory over the Aggies. NSU closed out the day with a 957-868 win over No. 20 and host Bethune-Cookman.

Aspiras and Rivera Santiago finished second and fourth, respectively, in individual scoring on the weekend, which did not include the bye.

In Baker play on Sunday, NSU won every game by at least 36 pins. Florida A&M came the closest, dropping a 757-721 contest to the Spartans in the second official game of the day. Norfolk State opened up Sunday's round with the bye before a 767-691 win over B-CU.

NSU, which ran its overall record to 25-20 on the year, also picked up victories over N.C. Central, 757-701, and N.C. A&T, 838-672.

The teams will compete in the last Southern Division on March 1-2. The Spartans will be back on the lanes in mid-January, when they head to the Lady Bulldog Classic in Laurel, Md., from Jan. 17-19.