HOST NJCU LEADS THIRD ANNUAL ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP BY 183 PINS
EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ…New Jersey City University, ranked No. 4 nationally among Division I, II and III schools, took first place overall in game three, and gradually increased its considerable margin in the next two contests, as the Gothic Knights closed day one of the third annual Eastern College Athletic Conference women’s bowling championship as the leaders of nine schools. NJCU is the host for the three-day championship at AMF Midstate Lanes.
NJCU (66-20-1) is first overall with a five-game pinfall of 5459, and leads #1 ranked and defending ECAC and national champion Fairleigh Dickinson University (75-14-0), which has 5276 pins by 183 after day one of the two-day team competition.
NJCU won the inaugural ECAC title in 2005 before FDU claimed the only other crown last year as a preview of an eventual run to the national championship.
The Gothic Knights and FDU each scored over 1000 in every game, but NJCU’s lowest game was 1047, and it reached 1100 twice, with scores of 1135 and 1124. Of 45 total games bowled, there were 13 scores of 1000+, but only three outside the two leaders.
In third place is #7 Sacred Heart University (4841, -618), followed by Saint Peter's College (4747, -712) and #16t Adelphi University (4649, -810), to round out the top five. They are followed by #15 Morgan State University (4473, -986), Howard University (4308, -1151), Saint Francis College (4102, -1357), and Cheyney University (3178, -2281).
NJCU, FDU and SPC (42-41-0) each went 4-0 in NCAA matches during the opening round; the Peahens moved above .500 on the season with its big day. Adelphi (31-40-0) went 2-2 in NCAA action, while nationally ranked clubs Sacred Heart (53-24-0) and Morgan State (48-36-0) each struggled, going 1-4. Howard (13-29-0) also went 1-4, while Cheyney (1-55-0) lost all five of its matches.
After day one, NJCU had three of the top five bowlers in the individual standings and four of the top seven. Of the 58 bowlers in the field, 13 had a five-game pinfall of 1000 or better and 17 averaged at least 200.
Senior Christi White (Croydon, PA/Harry S. Truman) of FDU holds a mere one-pin margin over NJCU freshman JENN MARMO (North Babylon, NY/North Babylon) for the overall lead, 1172-1171. White had games of 253-238-225-231-225 for a 234.4 average.
Marmo (215-240-224-289-203) was nearly perfect in a match against Sacred Heart as she converted strikes on her first 10 balls before leaving the six pin and finishing with a team season-high 289—the second highest score in NJCU program history and the top score in Saturday’s action.
NJCU junior anchor VICKI SPRATFORD (Hopelawn, NJ/Woodbridge) was third overall with 1123 total wood (207-227-278-200-211) and a 224.6 average. In game three against Howard, Spratford started with two spares, before rolling nine straight strikes and leaving the nine pin on her 12th ball for the 278.
FDU senior Becky Ketcham (Staatsburg, NY/F.D. Roosevelt), who won the ECAC singles championship on Friday, is currently fifth with a 216.4 average and 1082 total pins (231-225-191-246-189), while NJCU senior LAUREN BANZ (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) claimed fifth place with 1071 pins (216-233-234-214-174) and a 214.2 average.
On day three of the tournament on Sunday, March 11, each school will bowl three four-game total pinfall Baker matches at 9:15 a.m., followed by the single-elimination, best 3-out-of-5 Baker playoff matches.
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