ELMWOOD PARK, NJ…Junior MICHELE KIELAWA (Valley Stream, NY/G.W. Hewlett, NY) and senior co-captain JENNIFER VIENS (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) averaged a 205 and 204 in seven games, respectively, as the New Jersey City University women’s bowling team, ranked No. 5 in the nation in all divisions, went 3-1 in NCAA matches at Sunday’s second Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Conference event of the season. The EIBC event was held at Parkway Lanes on Route 46.
NJCU improved to 48-18 overall in NCAA competition, and stand a half game better than last year’s club which was 47-18-1 after 64 NCAA games. Overall, the Gothic Knights went 5-2 on Sunday, including two wins over non-NCAA programs. After two of three EIBC events, NJCU is 9-5 in league play, and possess a 69.5-40.5 advantage in points. Teams receive one point for each head-to-head victory by each individual bowler, and three points for a match win by the team.
The Knights swept a pair of NCAA match-ups with cross-city rival Saint Peter’s College, winning games two (945-888), and seven (895-870), to improve to 6-0 this year against the Peahens. NJCU out-dueled #3-ranked Sacred Heart University in game five by a comfortable 1016-960 margin. NJCU is 4-4 this year against the Pioneers, a year after eliminating SHU from the NCAA Tournament.
NJCU’s lone NCAA loss was a two-pin, 940-942 setback against No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson University, dropping the Knights ledger to 1-4 against FDU this season.
In non-NCAA matches that do count towards the conference standings, NJCU handled the FDU “B” team in game three, 1074-1016, and hammered Briarcliffe College by 272 pins in game six, 1049-777. However, NJCU fell to the Seahawks in the opening game, 826-876.
Kielawa tallied a 1435 pinfall for a 205.00 average in seven games, scoring 200 or better in four games, with high scores of 246 and 258. Her 258 was the high against SHU.
Viens had only seven fewer pins, totaling a 1428 for a 204.00 average, also scoring 200 or better in four games. The 2004 First-Team All-American went 5-1-1 in individual games.
Freshman VICKI SPRATFORD (Hopelawn, NJ/Woodbridge) posted 1382 pins in seven games for a 197.43 rate, with a high of 263 against SPC. Rookie VICKI BOLEY (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) bowled the first two games with the NJCU “B” team, and was solid in five games with the “A” team, as she tallied a pinfall of 995, for a 199.00 clip, while going a perfect 5-0 in head-to-head action. Combined with the 389 she tallied in two games with the second group, her overall pinfall was 1384, for an average of 197.71.
Junior KATHLEEN WEISSMAN (Saddle Brook, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) had a 1252 pinfall (178.86), bowling the first four games as NJCU’s anchor, before Viens assumed the No. 5 slot in the final three matches.
The NJCU “B” team went 2-5 during the event, to fall to 7-7 overall. In the point system, the Knights own a 61.5-50.5 advantage on the season, despite a 26.5-29.5 deficit on Sunday.
The “B” team dropped its first five games, before notching back-to-back victories over the SHU “B” team in games six (885-874 and seven (915-905). In the opening matches, NJCU fell to the FDU “B” (970-996), SHU “A” (901-929), SHU “B” (919-997), and twice more to the FDU “B” by scores of 928-949 and 889-943. In all, only two of the losses were by larger than a 50-pin margin.
In game two when NJCU fell to the Sacred Heart “A” team by 28, the Knights were playing with a blind score of 140 for one of its players, due to a CBUSA membership rule. If the actual score of 192 had been accepted, NJCU would have rolled a 953-929 victory.
Two individuals excelled on the “B” team, highlighted by senior co-captain
CHRISTINE ZSILAVETZ (Avenel, NJ/Woodbridge), who after two games on the “A” team, anchored the final five for the second group. She was outstanding, with a 203.20 average and 1016 pinfall, while scoring above 205 in her final four games.
Zsilavetz also posted a 5-0 head-to-head ledger, and struck out in the 10
th frame of NJCU’s game with SHU “B” to preserve a 10-pin win. Overall, in seven games between the “A” and “B”
![<dfn><a href=]()
LAUREN BANZ" src="/images/bowling/2005/2/10/10-27-04%20Lauren%20Banz%2019.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>teams, she had a pinfall of 1270, and a 181.42 average.
Meanwhile, sophomore LAUREN BANZ (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) was nearly perfect in the leadoff slot, posting a 6-0-1 record, and a seven-game pinfall of 1259 (179.86).
Freshman KRISTINA FIGUEIREDO (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) had a 190.00 average in seven games (1330 pins), exceeded 200 three times, and had a high score of 231. Sophomore AMIEE deNEUF (Hamburg, NJ/Vernon Township) contributed a 178.00 average (1246 pinfall), while sophomore TRACEY EVANS (Port Reading, NJ/Woodbridge) chipped in a 1219 (174.14).
NJCU will complete its EIBC schedule on Saturday, February 12 at 11 am in Milford, CT, before hosting the inaugural Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at Mid-State Bowl in East Brunswick, NJ on Saturday-Sunday, February 19-20.
—njcugothicknights.com—
