March 20, 2011

DURHAM, NC - All season long, there have been two bowling titans of the respective Northern and Southern Divisions in the CIAA.

And through two days of the CIAA Bowling Championships, each remains the class of its group.

Fayetteville State, the Southern Division champion, and Bowie State, the Northern Division titlist, remain unbeaten following the opening bracket round of bowling at the AMF Durham Lanes. And the two will meet in the quarterfinals of the double-elimination tournament on Monday morning.

The Broncos and Bulldogs are the only two teams to have finished the opening round unbeaten following brilliant performances. Fayetteville State, which dusted St. Augustine's and St. Paul's to advance in the winner's half of the bracket, led all teams in pin count following Sunday's Baker matches with 8,585, nearly 400 more than Bowie State (8,186).

The Broncos rolled a league-high Baker team average of 858, and have been led by Akira Turner's (Sr., Detroit, MI) 199.16 average, the CIAA's best.

Turner was named as the CIAA's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Bowie State, led by Vera Diggs' 181.83 average, which was fourth-best, finished with a team Baker average of 822.5. St. Paul's (820.25) was third, Virginia State (773.0) was fourth and Elizabeth City State (766.50) was fifth. The rest of the standings were rounded out by Winston-Salem State (759.0), Johnson C. Smith (702.75), Shaw (698.25), Chowan (696.0), Virginia Union (692.75), St. Augustine's (674.25), Lincoln (588.75) and Livingstone (551.25).

Jamie Donnelly (So., Fayetteville, NC) rolled a 175.3 average for the Broncos, good for sixth in the individual standings. Kelly Wakerhauser (Jr., Portage, WI) was 13th with an average of 165.67. Both bowlers joined their teammate Turner on the All-CIAA team, which was announced on Saturday.

Fayetteville State's De'Andrea Bethea (Fr., Raleigh, NC), named the CIAA Rookie of the Year, was 22nd after rolling a 158.83 average.

The Broncos' Daisy Weishman (Fr., Fayetteville, NC) was 19th after a 159.83 average.