NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State bowling team gets its 2022-23 season underway this weekend at the Virginia Union Invitational in Glen Allen, Friday through Sunday.

The Spartans, led by second-year head coach Aundray Darden, will be looking to reposition themselves as a MEAC contender behind a roster that has a good mix of experienced upperclassmen and youth.
 
Seniors Trinity Gray, Chanel Staton and Megan Wheat are battle-tested seniors upon which to build. Staton led the team with a 169.9 average in traditional games last season, with a high of 203 at the site of this weekend's event, the VUU Invitational.

Wheat posted a mark of 166.4 in the traditional games last season and saved her best for last, posting a 179 average in three traditional games at the MEAC Championship. Gray also topped the 160-mark for the season while logging a high game of 213 at the second MEAC conference meet of the year.

Also returning to the squad are the trio of Jazmin Esquibel, Kayla Barnes and Jalaya Allen, who all made their debuts for NSU last year. Esquibel bowled in four competitions last year and had the top single game for NSU last year, a 224 in the second MEAC meet. Barnes, who transferred in from Elizabeth City State last year, had a high game of 178 in her one competition while Allen also bowled in one meet as well.

Darden also welcomes two freshmen into the mix, both from the Hampton Roads area. LaShauna Burrus, a Norfolk native, and Kaiya Henderson, of Chesapeake, were both standouts in the youth bowling ranks and will compete for spots in the NSU lineup.

This weekend marks the first of three meets that the Spartans will attend this first semester. Next week is the first MEAC conference competition of the season, in Millsboro, Delaware. The first-semester slate concludes with the Coppin State Lady Eagles Invitational on Nov. 19-20.

The season resumes in February with the second MEAC meet of the year, Feb. 18-19, in Greensboro. The Spartans return to Greensboro the following week for the Stallings Invitational hosted by North Carolina A&T. The season continues into March with the TNBA-HBCU Invitational in Atlanta March 3-5. The MEAC Championships return to Virginia Beach March 24-26.