GREENSBORO – Emily Strombeck. Cameron Strombeck. Melanie Katen. Lauren Tomaszewski.
Add senior Maya Avilez to the long list of North Carolina A&T bowlers with some type of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) bowler of the year accolade. The MEAC released its preseason bowling accolades and predictions. MEAC head coaches and sports information directors voted Avilez preseason bowler of the year.
Avilez is joined by teammates Chloe Newberry and Katen on the preseason team. Unsurprisingly, the Aggies are picked to win the MEAC, garnering 14 first-place votes and 124 points to finish ahead of the defending MEAC champions, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). The Hawks received the other two first-place votes and 109 points. Delaware State is picked to finish third.
If Avilez wins MEAC bowler of the year at year's end, it will be the fourth straight season an Aggie has earned the award. It will also mark the sixth time in 11 seasons an Aggie has won MEAC bowler of the year. Avilez is coming off her first All-MEAC during the 2023-24 season after compiling 1,170 total frames, averaging 20.65 pins per frame. Avilez also recorded an overall fill percentage of 86.1, had a 52.5 strike percentage, and converted 88.9 percent of her single-pin spares.
"Maya is one of the more naturally gifted players I've had the pleasure to work with while here at A&T," said reigning four-time MEAC coach of the year Kim Terrell-Kearney. "She's put a lot of time and effort into getting to this point. I am so excited to see her shine this season."
In addition to earning first-team All-MEAC honors last season, Avilez captured first-team National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) All-Northeast Region accolades and third-team NTCA All-America honors. Newberry also earned first-team regional and third-team All-America status last season.
Newberry has also earned first-team All-MEAC honors in the previous two seasons. Newberry totaled 1,153 frames, where she averaged 20.64 pins per frame. Newberry's fill percentage was 86.6. She also recorded a 51.7 strike percentage and converted 92.4 percent of her single-pin spares.
Katen, one of the most decorated bowlers in program history, returns for her COVID season. Injuries hampered her 2023-24 season, limiting her to bowling only 728 total frames during the regular season. But before last season, Katen won back-to-back MEAC bowler of the year awards. In addition, she is a two-time third-team NTCA All-American.
She has also received honorable mention NTCA All-American accolades in her career. She helped the Aggies win three straight MEAC titles from 2021-23. While Katen returns, the Aggies did lose another highly decorated player in Tomaszewski, who won conference bowler of the year for the 2023-24 season. She also bowled two 300-perfect games in her career, and she is the only player in program history to earn first-team NTCA All-American honors, accomplishing the feat twice.
But the Aggies still bring back a strong team as they seek to win their fifth MEAC title in seven seasons. They also aim to earn their fifth straight NCAA tournament bid. They finished the season ranked fourth nationally in the NTCA Top-25 poll after reaching the Intercollegiate Team nationals sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).
A&T opens the 2024-25 season in Orlando, Fla., for the Destination: Orlando tournament hosted by Sacred Heart University, October 18-20.
