SMYRNA, Tenn. – Felician University participated in the nation's largest NCAA regular-season women's bowling event of 2017-18 when it traveled to the Smyrna Bowling Center on Friday through Sunday to take part in the Columbia 300 Music City Classic, hosted by Vanderbilt University.
Thirty-two teams entered the tournament, and 207 bowlers started at least one traditional team match on Saturday. Senior right-hander Jessica Zalewski (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) highlighted Felician's trip by shooting 999 (199.8 average) for the five traditional games and placing 21st among the individuals. Zalewski set a school record with a 248 game in Match 5.
The weekend was also the final regular-season tournament for seven "founding" seniors for the Golden Falcons, a fourth-year program. Felician's first set of four-year veterans includes righties Heather Androvich (Carteret, N.J./Carteret), Michelle Gulino (Howell, N.J./Howell), Kristen Keller (Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley), Alex Laurenzano (Brick, N.J./Brick Township), Kristin Natoli (Freehold, N.J./Howell), Kaitlyn Stapleton (Washington Township, N.J./Westwood Regional) and Zalewski.
The Music City Classic followed what has become a relatively standard format. Teams participated in five 5-game Baker matches on Friday, and returned for five traditional team matches on Saturday. Participants were then grouped in order of total pinfall and arranged into a playoff bracket for Sunday's three best-of-7 Baker matches.
Felician finished 24th in the team standings. In their dual matches, the Golden Falcons struggled to a 3-10 record, including an 0-3 showing in Sunday's playoffs. The tournament field was as deep as it was vast, with 20 of the 25 teams listed in the most recent national NCAA coaches' poll participating. Felician was 0-4 versus ranked opponents for the weekend.
Felician ran into the host and No. 4-ranked Commodores to begin the tournament, suffering a 55-pin loss on Friday morning. It was the start of a 1-4 day for the Golden Falcons, with the victory coming over Lincoln (Mo.) University in the middle match. As a team, Felician averaged 171.0 per Baker game.
Saturday was another up and down day. Of the four Golden Falcons who started all five matches, only Zalewski did not shoot below 170. Sophomore Nicole Aumack (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) had a season high 235 during her team's 968-872 win over Prairie View A&M University, but settled for 920 for the day and placed 51st. Natoli was 75th (897, 179.4 average) and sophomore Kristine Verbeke (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) finished 80th (892, 178.4). Stapleton tossed a season-high 223 to support Zalewski's 248 in the day's final match, a victory over Elmhurst College.
The Golden Falcons sat in 21st place after Friday and slipped into 22nd following Saturday's competition. But for the first time this season, they lost all three of their Baker best-of-7 playoff matches, falling, 4-2, each time. After losing to Texas Southern University for the second time in the tournament, Felician was relegated to 24th place.
No. 2-ranked and 2017 NCAA national champion McKendree University won the event, topping No. 5 Sam Houston State University in six games in the championship match. McKendree was 13-0 for the weekend, the only team with fewer than three losses.
The Golden Falcons (48-55) compete in the East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship tournament, hosted by Adelphi University, on Mar. 23-25 in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. For the first time, the ECC champion will automatically qualify into the NCAA national tournament.
