HAMILTON, N.J. - - The Wilmington University bowling team went 11-2 at the Hawk Flight Invite, falling in the championship match to finish second overall on Sunday afternoon at Hamilton Lanes.
The Wildcats went into Sunday in second place with one Traditional match to play prior to moving onto Bracket contests. The Wildcats defeated New Jersey City, 900-747, but couldn't overtake nationally ranked No. 17 LIU and was seeded second overall.
The Wildcats matched up with one of the top teams in the East Coast Conference (ECC) in Adelphi in the first round of the best of seven Bracket contests. The Wildcats jumped out on top, 1-0, but then soon found themselves down, 2-1. The Wildcats came back to win game four, 233-192, and then was one win away from the match with a 218-200 win in game five. But the Panthers tied it up with a win in game six, sending it to a final contest. The Wildcats squeaked by the Panthers in game seven, 181-179, to advance to the championship.
The Wildcats face No. 17 LIU for the title, and tied the match, 1-1, with a 178-171 win in the second game. But the Sharks were able to bounce back and score over 200 pins in the final three games, defeating the Wildcats, 4-1, to take the crown.
Despite knocking down the most pins in the six Traditional matches, the All-Tournament Team and MVP were decided by the best average in five matches, so KC Miller only earned All-Tournament and not MVP. Miller finished with a 203.33 average in six games while Kellie Frain from LIU had a 211.60 average in her five matches.
Rachel Hirst finished fifth overall and also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team with a 195.00 average in her six matches played.
The Wildcats are off until the USBC Sectionals in Stratford, New Jersey, starting on Friday, March 11.