MILLSBORO, DE. (November 18, 2011)—The Kutztown University bowling team was led by Brooke Bower (Camp Hill, PA/Cedar Cliff) at the first day of competition at the UMES Hawk Classic on Friday afternoon. The tournament is being hosted by the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore at Millsboro Lanes.

The Golden Bears (20-16 overall) are currently in 11th place out of a field of 19 teams.  After five quad-baker matches, Kutztown has a total pinfall of 3606.

Leading the tournament is Valparaiso (3896), followed by Vanderbilt (3830), Fairleigh Dickinson (3828), Central Missouri (3750), Delaware State (3718), New Jersey City (3670), UMES (3664), Sam Houston State (3657), Adelphi (3636), and Sacred Heart (3623) to round out the top 10.

KU went 2-2 on the day and also had a bye match.  Kutztown defeated Valparaiso 850-816 by scores of 218, 244, 214, and 174.  Kutztown also defeated Hampton 663-656 by game scores of 174, 188, 138, and 163,

KU dropped matches to Delaware State, 770-651 (157, 182, 175, and 137) and Central Missouri, 759-752 (185, 183, 161, and 223).

Bower finished with a team-high 20.42 baker frame average through 38 frames. Morgan Reid (Clayton, NC/) followed with an 18.8 average in 17 frames. Jara Cohen (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) closely followed with an 18.7 average in 22 frames. In just 13 frames, Christine Gordon (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) finished with an 18.0 baker frame average.

“Today was inconsistent,” Kutztown University head coach Joseph Ambrose said. “We know we can put it together for a solid day of matches and we will try to do that tomorrow.”

Saturday's competition begins at 9 a.m. with five traditional team games. Kutztown will be competing against Norfolk State who is in 12th, North Carolina A&T (19th), reigning NCAA Champion, UMES, Morgan State (16th), and Howard (18th), all members of the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC).