Reading, Pa. – Freshman Jasmine Newman paced Coppin State's women's bowling team at the Kutztown Invitational this weekend. The Eagles earned their lone victory of the tournament on Saturday during the traditional matches. In the final game of the day, Coppin State beat Mount Aloysius, 746-609.
"It was a very touchy weekend with so many ranked teams," said head coach Ty Robinson. "We bowled great at times but bowling against top ranked opponents we needed to be better." Newman rolled a team-high 200 against Mount Aloysius. It was her third time bowling at least 200. She finished with 949 pins and a 158.2 average.
Junior Kache Woods was close behind with 930 pins. She averaged a 155.0 pinfall and had a high-game of 175 against Cheyney. Junior Kristen Sharpe rounded finished with 863 pins and a 143.9 average. She rolled 168 against second-ranked Farleigh Dickinson. Sophomore Shelby Mendoza had a career day with 649 pins and a 115.7 pinfall. She rolled a career-high 153 against Medaille. She bested 100 in four out of six traditional matches, a first for Mendoza.
The 27-team event was the largest NCAA regular season bowling tournament in the country. Sixteen of the nation's top 20 teams in the latest National TenPins Coaches' Association (NTPCA) Top 20 poll are participated in the tournament.
"I walked in, I thought we were playing four teams," junior Danielle Smith said. "It was definitely an eye-opener when I saw all those schools there. I kind of got overwhelmed on Friday when they introduced the teams and mentioned all of the ones that were nationally-ranked. I was like what did I get myself into?"
Smith is a recent addition to the bowling team and currently a member of Coppin State's softball squad. In her first career appearance, she knocked down 799 pins and averaged a 133.2 pinfall. She bowled 177 against Cheyney, the third-highest total on the team.
"I would say I was very inconsistent," Smith admitted. "I would bowl really well and then not so well. It was a little bit of a rollercoaster. I was really happy with my 177. My forearm hurts and it was really sore all weekend. It was tough because I had to stand all day and it's a different kind of standing from softball when you're on the field. It was nice to be able to help the team out this weekend."
The Eagles are back in action this weekend at the Red Flash Invitational this weekend. The competition is hosted by St. Francis University and will take place on Friday and Saturday.
