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Oct. 26, 2007
Christopher Delgado
PRINCESS ANNE, Md.-The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) men and women's cross country teams won the 2007 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships this past weekend, while volleyball picked up a 3-1 (30-20, 30-19, 27-30, 30-23) win over Howard. In other news, the women's bowling team is currently ranked fourth in the nation by the National Tenpins Coaches Association. This was the first MEAC title for the men since 1995, while it was the second ever for the women with their last coming in 1983. The men previously won in 1994 and 1982. Lady Hawk Merrecia James (Portland, Jamaica/G.C. Foster C.C.) won the women's race to earn MEAC Outstanding Performer honors. James finished the 5K race with a season-best time of 18:27.7. "We knew it was important to finish among the top 15 in order to have a chance to win, said James." UMES Head Coach Ernest Barrett won Outstanding Coach honors for both teams. Barrett knew his teams would have to run hard to have a chance to win. "All season we have stressed running as a pack, as a team. We knew if we were going to win we had to have our team finish among the top 10," said Barrett. "In cross country, I stress working as a team and both teams did that today." The Hawks won the men's race with 45 points, narrowly beating out Norfolk State who came in second with 56 points. Peter Sang (Kapsabet, Kenya/Kapsabet Boys H.S.) and Amon Kiprotich (Kapsabet, Kenya/Tulon H.S.) were the highest finishers for the men in third and fourth respectively. Sang finished the 8K race with a time of 25:39.3, while Kiprotich finished with a time of 25:59.5. The Lady Hawks cruised past the rest of the competition with a dominating performance. They scored 47 points, while second place Hampton scored 84 points. The win over the Bison marked the 18th consecutive match the volleyball team has won and improved their record to 20-3, 9-0 in MEAC play as of October 27. Their winning streak is now the longest in the nation as Nebraska was knocked off by Texas. Christina Estebane' (El Paso, Texas/Midland College) finished the match with a triple double. She led the Lady Hawks with 15 kills, 33 assists 10 digs, and three service aces. The team finished with 11 aces, which leads the nation. While fourth is the highest ranking ever for the UMES bowling team they may feel a little disappointed after taking Vanderbilt to game seven in the National Championship match last season. However, Head Coach Sharon Brummell is happy with the ranking. "We lost six bowlers, two of which were key starters and two were key reserves," said Brummell. "The bowling world knows that and to still earn a fourth place ranking is great. It is our highest ranking ever and it means we are earning some respect in the sport." Las season the Lady Hawks set a record for wins with a 94-22 record. They hope that last season was a stepping stone to bring home the national championship. UPCOMING MATCH UMES volleyball is back in action at home for senior night, where they are undefeated this season on Friday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m. against North Carolina Central. UPCOMING MEET The UMES cross country teams will travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to compete in the NCAA Regional Championships on Saturday, November 10. The time is TBA. UPCOMING TOURNAMENT The UMES bowling team opens their season November 4-5 in Dover, Del. with a MEAC (Northern Division) Tournament. UPCOMING GAMES The UMES women's basketball team hosts an exhibition game at home against Elizabeth City State University on Wednesday, November 7 at 6 p.m. They open regular season play at home on Saturday, November 10 at 4 p.m. against Morgan State University in a non-conference game. The UMES men's basketball team opens their season on the road as they travel to Richmond, Va. on Friday, November 9 to take on Virginia Commonwealth University at 7 p.m. They host Shenandoah University in an exhibition game on Tuesday, November 13 at 7 p.m. All basketball games will be broadcast on WTGM-AM 960 The Team. |
