FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY
Fairleigh Dickinson University head coach Mike LoPresti on whether tomorrow could be a storybook ending to the season for his program: “It will be great no matter who we face, but it probably would have been an even better story if we would have faced NJCU in the final. What a great team NJCU is. All year long, boy do they battle. But so do we. We work extremely hard at being the best competitors that we can be every time we’re on the lanes. We do a great job of that most of the time. We had some hills and valleys yesterday, but today we were at our best.”
LoPresti on whether people understand how difficult it is to field a program at NJCU which competes at this level without scholarships: “I think people know how difficult it is. We feel kind of the same way too, but being Division I, we have the privilege of offering athletic grants and NJCU doesn’t have that privilege. We play into that when we recruit our players. Our campus is excited just for the reason that our program can compete with the biggest and best programs in the nation in this sport. Not too many of our programs at FDU can do that.”
Senior Erica Perez on what it will be like to compete for a national championship tomorrow in front of her team‘s home fans: “I am going to be excited. I came in here Wednesday for practice and I was ready to go. This is the time. I don’t have another year, and this year it is all or nothing. We need to go out and execute great shots, be team players, cheer each other on, and keep communicating. We’ve made it to the final two. This afternoon, we walked in and realized that we’d made it to the final four, but that wasn’t good enough for us. We wanted more, and we’ve made it to the final two. I’m ready to go out tomorrow and do what I and my teammates love to do.”
LoPresti on comparing this year’s team to his 2006 national championship team: “There are a lot of similarities, but this team is different. We have seniors and juniors in our lineup this year, but that 2006 team was our first team ever. They were the same ladies that started the team as freshmen. Those first three recruits were in that 2006 starting lineup, so that had so much more meaning to our school and program. This team is our second wave and it was built off of the success of that 2006 team. The level of competition over the last three or four years has elevated to the point that this team really can be labeled as our best team ever.”
LoPresti on whether there is any doubt that this FDU team would beat his 2006 title team: “I wouldn’t say that there is no doubt. Let’s put it this way, on our alumni days, it’s a battle. It’s great to see our alumni come back and compete because they have a lot on the line. They are the only national champions in the history of the school, and they like to show that off and prove it time and time again. But this team is the most athletic and the hardest working team that we‘ve ever had. They’ve experienced more by far than any other team that we‘ve had, and we‘re ready to win this championship.”
Perez on what the general public doesn’t understand about collegiate bowling: “They don’t understand the mental focus that it requires to compete at this level. You have to be prepared for everything, not only the physical aspects of the game, but the mental preparation as well. Even on a rainy day like today, you have to come in and adjust to lane conditions that are totally different from what we experienced on a hot day like yesterday. You kind of have to play mind games with yourself and have confidence in yourself regardless of the conditions.”
Perez on being a Carteret native and having experience at Carolier Brunswick Zone lanes: “This is where I bowled four years in high school, so I get to finish my collegiate career where I closed out my high school career.”
Perez on her family’s presence at the tournament: “My family goes everywhere with me, fortunately or unfortunately [joking]. People that I’ve grown up with have stopped by this week to cheer not only me on, but our team and all of the other teams as well. It’s been a great homecoming. It feels a little bit different, because we’re used to traveling for nationals. To know that we’re just down the turnpike from where I live and go to school is a one of a kind experience.”
Perez on competing today against former Carteret teammates Jennifer and Kelly Daunno of NJCU: “I wished them all the luck in the world. I gave them a hug when we were finished and told them that they both bowled great. I wish it was FDU and NJCU in the final, but they did a great job all week, and I was very proud of them as both friends and former teammates of mine. Our high school coach [Charles Simon] was here today and he saw three of his best players competing, so he had to be happy.”
Perez on how hard it will be to get some sleep tonight in advance of the national final: “I’m going to sleep pretty well. This was a long day with a lot of ups and downs - more ups than downs. It’s going to take me some time to fall asleep, but once I’m out, not much gets in the way of my sleep.“
LoPresti on whether he has a preference for which team FDU faces in the final: “I have no preference at all. All of the teams are high quality and it’s going to be a tough match regardless of who we play. The new coach from Arkansas State [Justin Kostick] is a fantastic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable coach who has taken that program to a new level. And [Nebraska head coach] Bill Straub. Come on, you start the list with him when you identify the best coaches in the history of the game. [Nebraska] is the defending national champions. That says it all.”
LoPresti on whether a FDU-Nebraska match-up could be compared to the Duke-Butler match-up that recently took place in the national men’s basketball championship: “I was rooting for Butler because I always root for the underdog. Just being from New Jersey means you’re the underdog. I’m also a big fan of Duke and their success and Mike Krzyzewski is a guy who’s quotes I use to motivate my team. The difference is that we’ve already played Nebraska in this tournament and we beat them. I look at us as the team to beat.“
Perez on how much luck plays into this championship: “Luck is a factor, but our team believes that you make your breaks. If you’re throwing good shots and you’re lined up and making sure you’re talking, that’s when you get the breaks.”
NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY
Head coach Frank Parisi on what changed after his team was up 2-1 in the match against FDU: “I don’t think much changed. We tried to make quality shots. You have to give FDU credit because they made the shots that they needed to make. They got some carry and put some strikes together, and that was the difference in the match. But I was pleased with our team’s performance. They just came up a little bit short.”
Parisi on whether this year’s tournament has been everything that he expected when NJCU submitted a bid to host in New Jersey: “Absolutely. This is a big bowling area, not just central New Jersey, but New York and Pennsylvania as well. We had people who came from all over to support this tournament. This is just what I expected - standing room only crowds, a media presence, and lot of excitement in general. This sport is very popular in this area and people need to see what NCAA bowling at this level is all about.”
Senior Jenn Marmo on people’s misconceptions about the sport of collegiate bowling: “I would say that people don’t understand the intensity at this level. They don’t understand the cheering and how we are standing eight, nine hours a day supporting each other. Nobody really understands that.”
Marmo on how much difficulty the average league bowler would experience bowling under championship conditions: “They would definitely be surprised at the difficulty it takes to compete at this level. The lane conditions are much more difficult, and the pressure is a lot more intense.”
Parisi on the light-hearted approach he takes to coaching: “It’s kind of our theme as coaches. You have to have fun and enjoy yourself. We try to be as light-hearted as we can. We’re serious about this sport and we work very hard to get to this level, because you’re not going to accomplish what we’ve accomplished without that. We try to make it a great experience and joke around a lot - mostly at my expense. We want this to be a great experience for our players, and having fun is important.”
Senior Candice D’Angelo on what she will remember from her career at NJCU: “Everything. Every tournament, every teammate, every experience, every place we‘ve been, and especially every final four we‘ve made. Just giving your all in everything you do.”
Marmo on what she will remember about her NJCU career: “The friendship and memories that have been made over the past four years will never be forgotten. I kind of feel bad for people who don’t get the opportunity to compete in NCAA bowling because this is an experience that not a lot of people get to have. If you’re lucky enough to get this experience, you have to treasure it.”
Marmo on whether the NJCU players understand how difficult it is for a Division III institution to compete with the likes of Nebraska and Vanderbilt: “We definitely do. Nebraska practices every day and has their own lanes on campus. We practice twice or three times a week off campus and can’t practice as early in the season as they do. But we’ve never used that as an excuse.”
D‘Angelo on how a team like NJCU can compete with a team with Nebraska‘s resources: “We have heart and talent and we’re strong. We’re just as talented as anyone.”
D’Angelo on who she predicts will capture the national championship: “Nebraska. It would be nice to see someone win from our area [FDU], especially since we lost to them today, but Nebraska is very, very talented. But it’s that any given day scenario tomorrow. Anything can happen.”
Marmo on the pressure to perform well in the tournament as the host institution: “There was pressure because a lot of people haven’t experienced this tournament and we wanted to show them what this team can do in this type of setting. We wanted to show them who we are, so that they would get to see what we’re all about.”
Parisi on whether he believes a team comprised of six Division III players can realistically compete for a national championship in the sport of collegiate bowling: “Yes. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it could happen.”
Parisi on the challenges of coaching his team while also being the chair of the NCAA National Committee and assisting in NJCU’s hosting efforts: “It’s been a challenge, but I am extremely proud of everyone associated with this championship. My team performed great and I couldn’t be prouder of their effort. I can’t say enough about my assistant coach Rusty Thomsen as well. He is a guy who takes good high school bowlers and turns them into very good collegiate bowlers. I’m very proud of our university as well and the way that everyone stepped up and embraced the hosting of this championship. The feedback that I’ve received from the other coaches and players has been tremendous, and it’s a credit to our university staff for a job well done.”
