FOREST PARK, Ga. – The Norfolk State bowling team finished its 2019-20 season by going 8-5 over the weekend at the three-day TNBA/HBCU Invitational at Funtime Bowl outside Atlanta.
 
Sponsored by The National Bowling Association (TNBA), the event featured 16 HBCUs from both Division I and II. The Spartans placed seventh after Sunday's bracket round, concluding their best tournament of the season.
 
The Spartans posted a 4-1 record in Baker action on Friday, then won two of their five matches on Saturday in traditional play. Seeded seventh in terms of average at 170.2 after the first two days, they then won two of their three Baker matches on Sunday in the bracket round in finish in that same seventh spot.
 
Sophomore Crystal Brewer rolled a career-high 239 in one of the team's setbacks on Saturday, and she also had games of 202 and 213 for a 195.0 average in all five games. She ranked seventh in terms of individual average at the tournament. Freshman Chanel Staton was right behind her at 190.8, which included games of 210 and 202, to rank 12^th at the tournament.
 
Junior McKayla Lang averaged 168.8 in all five games, and freshman Megan Wheat posted a 161.8 average in four games as well.
 
The only loss on Friday came in the middle of the day, a 951-818 setback to Southern. The Spartans started the morning with a pair of wins, 864-708 over Bethune-Cookman and 847-557 against Livingstone. After that setback in the third game, the Spartans downed Grambling, 826-616, and Virginia State by a narrow 812-805 margin.
 
Saturday's traditional round saw Norfolk State win its first and last matches of the day. Alabama A&M fell victim to NSU to start, 841-824, and Morgan State was no match for the Spartans in the final game of the day, 916-798.
 
In between, Alabama State (921-749), Texas Southern (1,046-865) and Jackson State (972-961) all were victorious over the Spartans.
 
Sunday's bracket round again saw the Spartans win their first and last matches of the day. Both came by 4-1 margins in the best-of-seven format, as Fayetteville State and then Alabama A&M succumbed to NSU. The Spartans also had an early 2-0 lead over Coppin State in the middle match, but the Eagles won the last four games for the 4-2 win.
 
NSU concluded its season at 28-50 after failing to qualify for the MEAC Tournament later this month.