SYMRNA, Tenn. – The Felician University women's bowling team took the longest road trip in the two-year history of its program this weekend, participating in the Columbia 300 Music City Classic, hosted by Vanderbilt University, on Friday through Sunday at Smyrna Bowling Center.
The 30-team field was the largest to participate in an NCAA regular-season event this season. Twenty-two of the current National Tenpin Coaches Association top 25 teams were involved. Felician struggled with the step up in competition, ending the weekend in 29th place and posting a dual-match record of 3-12. The Golden Falcons averaged 163.0 for all games.
The event's format called for six five-game Baker matches on Friday, followed by six traditional team matches on Saturday. The teams were then arranged into a position-round playoff bracket for Sunday, during which each team was guaranteed three best-of-seven Baker matches.
In the individual standings, sophomore right-hander Jessica Zalewski (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) was the only Golden Falcon to finish in the top half of the field. The lone Felician competitor to start all six traditional matches on Saturday, Zalewski felled 1,033 pins (172.2 average) and placed 75th out of 198 entrants. Sophomores Kaitlyn Stapleton (Washington Township, N.J./Westwood Regional) and Kristin Natoli (Freehold, N.J./Howell) started five matches each, with Stapleton finishing 112th (820, 164.0 average) and Natoli 119th (767, 153.4).
In Friday's Baker competition, Felician began with an 837-734 victory over Florida A&M University. However, the Golden Falcons dropped their next five matches, and ended the day in 28th place with a 166.7 average. Felician went 0-6 in traditional play on Saturday with an average of 156.1 and remained in 28th place for Sunday's playoff bracket.
The Golden Falcons earned a 4-0 win over Alabama A&M University on Sunday morning, but missed a chance to move up in the standings with a 4-3 setback to Florida A&M, dropping Game 7, 180-176. Felician then avoided 30th place with another win against Alabama A&M, this time four games to two.
No. 2 nationally-ranked Arkansas State University won the event, defeating No. 7 McKendree University, 4-1, in the championship match.
Felician's won-lost record on the season fell to 40-58 (.408). The Golden Falcons conclude the 2015-16 campaign on Mar. 25-26 at the inaugural East Coast Conference Championship in Reading, Pa.
