New Jersey City University Athletics

OVERVIEW: Fairleigh Dickinson University went 3-0 on day two of the NCAA Tournament, including two victories over in-state rival and NCAA Championship host New Jersey City University, to advance to its second NCAA Final and its first since 2006 when the Knights won it all. In the first-ever NCAA Championship held in the Northeast, the win guaranteed a New Jersey school will play for the national title in its own state. FDU will play the winner of Arkansas State University and University of Nebraska for the national championship on Saturday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

 

After Arkansas State opened the day 2-0, defending NCAA champion Nebraska forced an if-necessary match on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to the TV pair. ASU is seeking its first NCAA title and Nebraska its fourth.

 

Host NJCU, which lost its opening match to FDU, had to battle out of the loser’s bracket to keep its streak alive of reaching the Final Four in the NCAAs in every even-numbered year (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010). NJCU eliminated University of Central Missouri and University of Maryland Eastern Shore to reach the NCAA Semifinals, before placing fourth.

 

Maryland Eastern Shore and Vanderbilt, which lost an elimination match to Nebraska, tied for fifth. Central Missouri and Delaware State University were eliminated after Round 2, and tied for seventh.

 

MATCH CAPSULES: 

 One had to be wondering if Nebraska would ever cool down following a perfect 7-0 record on seeding day at the NCAA Championship. Opening championship bracket play against No. 8 Central Missouri, the top-seeded Huskers knocked down only 169 pins a Game 1 loss.

 

It wasn’t long, however, before the Huskers were piping hot again. Nebraska won each of the next four games to post a 4-to-1 baker match win over the Jennies. After suffering the 20-pin opening game loss, Nebraska opened up Game 2 by rolling five consecutive strikes the first time through the lineup on the way to a 235-205 victory. Nebraska’s 239-pin baker game was too much for Central Missouri to handle in Game 3.  The outcome of Game 4 was in doubt until the very last ball was thrown. Nebraska anchor Cassie Leuthold opened the 10^th frame by registering a 9-spare and needed to knock down another eight pins with her last shot to prevent Central Missouri from evening up the match. Leuthold grabbed her spare ball off the rack and calmly took out nine pins for the win and a commanding 3-to-1 lead before the Huskers sealed the match with a 190-174 game five result.

 

Fairleigh Dickinson’s sixth victory this season over New Jersey City may be its most significant thus far. Not only did the 4-to-2 baker match win tip the seesaw season series in FDU’s favor, but more importantly, it sent the Knights into the winner’s bracket at the NCAA Championships.

 

The two Northeast Conference members tussled 10 times during the regular season before finding out there would be an 11^th showdown in the first round of the double-elimination national championship meet.

 

No. 4 seed Fairleigh Dickinson rolled to a 69-pin win in the opening game of the best-of-seven baker bout before NJCU evened the score at 1-1. FDU flew out to a fast start in the third game, wrapping four strikes around a 9-spare over the first five frames on the way to a 278-201 victory. Both teams exceeded 200 pins in the next baker game, but Fairleigh Dickinson’s effort proved too much. FDU filled all 10 frames to claim a 217-201 win and a commanding 3-to-1 lead. NJCU forced a sixth game after winning the fifth by 11 pins before FDU shot a 247 in the clinching game.

 

Maryland-Eastern Shore stormed back from two games down to knock off Vanderbilt, 4-to-3, on the final ball of the entire match. 

Staring at a seven-pin deficit in the final frame of the seventh, and deciding, game, UMES anchor Maria Rodriguez threw a strike to seal a 218-215 match-clinching win.

 

No. 3 seed Vanderbilt broke the 200-pin mark in each of the first two baker games on the way to claiming a 2-0 match lead. No. 6 seed Maryland-Eastern Shore responded by reeling off three straight wins to put Vandy on the brink of defeat. The Commodores battled back by posting a 223-191 victory to force a Game 7.

 

Arkansas State swept past Delaware State in the first round of double-elimination NCAA Championship bracket play. The triumphant Red Wolves knocked down no fewer than 210 pins in any of the four baker games. With its back against the wall, Delaware State broke the 200-pin barrier for the first time in Game 4. The Hornets’ 201 Baker game was not enough to extend the match as Arkansas State posted a nine-pin victory. It was the only sweep in any match on the day.

 

 

Fairleigh Dickinson accomplished something that no other team had done in eight prior matches at the 2010 NCAA Bowling Championship —it beat Nebraska.

 

No. 4 seed FDU dealt the top-seeded Huskers their first loss of the tournament, a 4-to-2 decision in the second round of bracket play.

Meeting for the second consecutive year in the second round of NCAA Championship, Nebraska struck first by notching a 221-167 victory in the opening game.

 

Fairleigh Dickinson answered in Game 2. Working off a key 9-spare from freshman Danielle McEwan, anchor Erica Perez delivered a strike that sealed a 161-160 victory.

 

The two sides split the ensuing two games before Fairleigh Dickinson erupted. The Knights turned in a 203 baker game in a 34-pin triumph followed by a 244 in the match-clinching win. 

 

Prior to the loss to Fairleigh Dickinson, Nebraska won all seven of its traditional team matches yesterday and posted a 4-to-1 victory over No. 8 seed Central Missouri to open up bracket play on Friday. The win landed Fairleigh Dickinson into the NCAA Final Four for the sixth time in six NCAA Tournament appearances.

 

Arkansas State remained in the winner’s bracket by downing Maryland-Eastern Shore, 4-to-2, in the second round of championship play.

 

The No. 2 seed Red Wolves knocked down no fewer than 197 pins in any of the six games and exceeded 200 four times. UMES’ only two 200-plus performances of the match came during its third and fourth game victories that evened the score at 2-2. Arkansas State turned in a 211 to win Game 5 by 25 pins before sealing the match with a 32-pin triumph in Game 6.

 

New Jersey City eliminated Central Missouri by handing the Jennies a 4.5-to-0.5 defeat in the second round of championship bracket play. NJCU found itself in a tough spot heading into the final frame of Game 1, but anchor Jenn Marmo was up to the challenge. After rolling a 7-spare, Marmo needed a strike to force a 189-189 tie and she delivered.

 

The senior anchor’s clutch shot seemed to serve as a springboard for the Gothic Knights. New Jersey City unleashed a 244-pin performance to win the ensuing game by a 61-pin margin and did not look back from there. The Gothic Knights took the third and fourth games by a narrow 13-pin margin before posting a convincing 188-149 match-clinching win in Game 5.

 

Vanderbilt won the final two games of its second round elimination match to cement a 4-to-2 victory over Delaware State.

 

The two sides traded blows in the early going. Vanderbilt took the opening game, 170-148. Rebounding from its lowest score of the match, Delaware State shot a 245 to roll to a 67-pin victory in Game 2. Vanderbilt unleashed its highest baker pinfall of the match, 241, to win Game 3 before the Hornets evened the score with a win in Game 4. The Commodores won the next two games by 29 and 20 pin margins to advance.

 

In the history of the NCAA Championship, no team has been more dominant over another than NJCU against UMES. In another elimination match, NJCU, improved to 4-0 all-time against the Hawks and 16-4-1 in games during those matches, by winning the final three games after the two schools split the first two. All four wins by NJCU against UMES in the tournament’s history have come in elimination matches.

 

NJCU took the first game, striking in the sixth, seventh and eighth before senior anchor Jenn Marmo cooked a turkey in the 10^th. UMES struck in the ninth frame of a tight game two to even the series.

 

Game 3 proved to be decisive as NJCU won by four pins to claim a series lead it would not relinquish. NJCU opened with three strikes but only led by 10, 145-135 after seven frames because the Hawks struck in the fifth, sixth, and seventh. The Gothic Knights answered as senior Candice D’Angelo, junior Nicole Drejerwski and Marmo struck in the eighth, ninth and 10^th. UMES tossed four final strikes to close the match but Marmo only needed five pins on her second ball of the 10^th to win and toppled six. 

 

In Game 4, NJCU played a clean game with all marks and easily won by 36 pins. In Game 5, the Knights converted marks on their first nine balls and clinched the series with a decisive 37-pin win to stave off elimination for the second consecutive match and force a rematch with in-state rival FDU in the semifinals.

 

The drama of the NCAA Tournament was on display as the two largest schools in the field, and the event’s No. 1 and 3 seeds, squared off in an elimination match. Vandy easily won the opening game, striking on six of its final seven balls for a 42-pin win. But from there, it was all Huskers and the Commodores were eliminated in five games.

 

Nebraska struck in frames 3-to-5, and three times in the 10^th to win Game 2 before uncorked back-to-back mammoth scores of 225 and 236 for a 3-1 series lead. Any chance Vanderbilt had to rally was negated by leaving four opens in its first seven frames of Game 5 as Nebraska clinched the series to advance to the semifinals.

 
ROUND 4

For the second time on the day and the 12^th time this season, NJCU and FDU met, and this one was even more meaningful than round one tilt. An NJCU win would force an if-necessary match on Saturday; an FDU win would put the Knights back in the NCAA Finals.

 

The North Jersey rivals, separated by 16 miles, opened with a decisive FDU victory by 57 pins. But NJCU tied it in Game 2, winning by five, 189-184. A strike and spare in frame 10 by Marmo sealed the win.

 

NJCU grabbed a 2-1 series lead by taking Game 3 by 64, tossing eight strikes in the process. FDU took Game 4, 191-179, striking in frames 4-thru-6 to grab the lead.

 

Game 5 went to FDU by 50 pins, as the Knights notched a 223 with five strikes in the middle to late frames. In Game 6, NJCU led 57-56 after three frames, looking to tie the series, but left an open in the fourth frame. A spare in the fourth by FDU, followed by an Erica Perez strike in the fifth gave the visiting New Jersey team the lead for good, holding on for a 16-pin decision, to advance to the NCAA Finals.

 

After the NCAA Trophy presentation, NJCU head coach Frank Parisi held a public senior ceremony, as the Gothic Knights bid an emotional farewell to D’Angelo and Marmo—a pair of Long Island, New York natives whom have helped keep the Gothic Knights on a national championship competitive level throughout their careers. NJCU fans and players and families from several participating schools were there to witness and support the host Knights and their seniors in their final shining moment

 

A win by Arkansas State would eliminate the defending NCAA Champions and send the Red Wolves to their second NCAA Final. That goal will have to wait until Saturday when those two schools square off in an elimination match as the Huskers showed why they are the defending champs.

 

Nebraska started the match off with momentum, taking the first two games, both by less than seven pins (206-199, 216-211). Cassie Leuthold struck in the 10^th in Game 1 before doing the impossible—tossing a turkey in the 10^th frame of Game 2 as the Huskers rallied for a 216-211 win.

 

Arkansas State bounced back to take the third game, 204-195, but Nebraska jumped out to a 3-1 lead with a 198-183 victory in Game 4. ASU actually led 174-169 heading into the 10^th frame. The Red Wolves left an open and Leuthold again was the answer, tossing two strikes for the win.

 

The Red Wolves shot a match-high 245 in Game 5 to make it 3-2, but Nebraska took the lead in frame three of Game 6 and won by 20 pins to force the if-necessary match on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.