MILLSBORO, Del. - - The Wilmington University bowling team held a lead in each Baker Bracket match on Sunday of the UMES Hawk Classic but dropped to 12th place to close out the Tournament at Millsboro Lanes.
The Wildcats entered Sunday in 10th place based on total pinfall over the first two days of the tournament. They had a chance to move up to as high as seventh overall, but slipped to 12th with three losses on Sunday.
They first matched up with nationally 16th ranked Sacred Heart and jumped out on top, 1-0, with a 144-140 win in game one. The Wildcats again won game three, 192-180, to grab a 2-1 lead, but the Pioneers fought back to win the final three games to win the match, 4-2.
The Wildcats then matched up with 11th ranked Mount St. Mary's and again jumped out in front with a 185-166 victory in game one. The Wildcats then won game three, 181-163, and took a 3-1 lead with a big win in game four, 211-144. But Mountaineers mounted an epic comeback, narrowly winning game five, 160-158, before winning game six, 186-141, and closing out the match with a 213-192 win in game seven to come back and win, 4-3.
Playing for 11th place, the Wildcats matched up with 17th ranked Tulane and yet again jumped out to an early lead. The Wildcats won game one, 168-125, and then took a 2-0 lead with a win in game two, 192-173, but couldn't close out the Green Wave. Tulane battled back to win the next four games to take the match, 4-2, and earn 11th place in the tournament out of 18 teams.
North Carolina A&T defeated Vanderbilt twice on Sunday, including a 4-3 victory in the Championship to claim First Place. Youngstown State defeated Fairleigh Dickinson to finish third overall.
The Wildcats wrapped up their 2022 portion of their schedule and will return to action when the 2023 semester begins in January. Their first tournament back will be the Northeast Classic starting on Friday, January 20 in Deptford, New Jersey.