MILLSBORO, Del. – North Carolina A&T (37-6) went 5-0 Saturday and moved up a spot in the standings to enter bracket play in second place at the Eastern Shore Hawk Classic hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore bowling team at Millsboro Lanes.
The Aggies are 9-1 for the tournament with 9,578 total pins. The Aggies ranked seventh nationally in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll are 37-6 on the season.
A&T defeated 12th-ranked Delaware State 973-865. Graduate Katie Robb led the Aggies with a 221, her best showing on Saturday. Reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) co-bowler of the week Melanie Katen helped the Aggies with a 210, and sophomore Chloe Newberry bowled a 200.
Katen followed that performance with a 196 in a 926-827 win over 13th-ranked Duquesne. The Aggies kept rolling with a 915-827 win over 17th-ranked Tulane. MEAC preseason bowler of the year Lauren Tomaszewski led the Aggies knocking down 202 pins.
A&T got stronger as the day proceeded as they rolled against No. 16 Sacred Heart by defeating the Pioneers 1,049-946. Tomaszewski had her best performance of the day with a 233. Katen also had her best showing against the Pioneers with a 220. Robb stepped in with a 212 and Newberry added a 203.
Sophomore Maya Avilez led the Aggies to a convincing 1,043-789 win against St. Francis Brooklyn by posting a 224. Tomaszewski exceeded 200 again with a 215 and Newberry added 212.
Tomaszewski finished eighth with 1,018 total pins to post a five-game average of 203.60, and Katen finished 11th with 1,011 pins for a five-match average of 202.40. Robb and Newberry finished 16th and 17th, as Robb averaged 197.40 over five games to total 989 pins. Newberry bowled a 987 to average 197.40 over five games.
Jada Bassette bowled a 511 to average 170.33 over three games, and junior Laura Garcia bowled a 166 against Del State.
Second-ranked Vanderbilt leads the tournament with 9,820 pins, followed by the Aggies and Del State (9,418 pins), No. 10 Fairleigh Dickinson (9,343 pins) and No. 9 Youngstown State (9,243 pins).
The final day is Sunday, as the Aggies face Vandy to start bracket play.
A&T finished the first day of the Hawk Classic with a 4-1 record, starting the tournament with four wins to push their winning streak to 14 matches before a close loss to fifth-ranked Sam Houston State, 1,032-1,022 ended the streak.
The Aggies defeated Vanderbilt 839-826 on Friday to give the Aggies at least one win against the top-5 of the NTCA poll this season.
A&T continued with a 904-893 victory against No. 10 Fairleigh Dickinson and a 919-865 win over No. 22 Long Island. A&T also beat No. 9 Youngstown State 988-932 before the SHSU matchup.
