FAMU bowling overcoming adversity to roll to second in MEAC

Jazmin Bingham was looking so much to the start of the bowling season with FAMU's team. She was finally going to get a chance to rejoin her former high school teammate Nina Gilbert on a college team. Then, the news came last summer that left Bingham numb. Gilbert had lost her life in an automobile accident. "I lost a teammate and I lost a friend," said Bingham, who played with Gilbert at Gwendolyn Brooks Preparatory High School in Chicago. "She was always very high-spirited and always looked out for me. It was sad. It was devastating to lose somebody like that."

The entire FAMU team was devastated, then just two months into the season more adversity came. Their assistant coach Paul Williams died unexpectedly; just a few weeks after the team had undergone a head-coaching change. But through their misfortune, the Rattlers found inspiration to roll to a second-place tie in the Southern Division of the MEAC. That secured a berth for FAMU in the conference championship as one of eight teams that qualified.

Photo Gallery: FAMU Bowling Team Practices

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UMES bowlers win Bulldog Classic title

(L) All-American Kristina Frahm with last season's All-MEAC senior Jessica Worsley during NCAA national championship tournament.

BOWIE, Md. -- The nation's defending NCAA champions, University of Maryland Eastern Shore headed to the Lady Bulldog Classic in search of their first title of the year. They got it, taking first place on pin fall, amassing almost 10,500 pins, 162 better than the next team. All-American Maria Rodriguez averaged a 240.1 and earned tournament MVP honors.

Rodriguez was unstoppable as she posted a pin fall of 1441 over six games including five games over 200. Her high came against the host Lady Bulldogs of Bowie State, as she roiled a 279, the highest game of her collegiate career. She went on to roll games of 224, 267, 257 and 233.

She wasn't the only Hawk to post an average of 200 or better. Kristina Frahm (Oswego, Ill.) tallied 1,226 pins and an average of 204.3. She finished ninth overall individually. New Hawk Paula Vilas was close with a 990 pinfall over five games.

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UMES Bowling Team 2008-09 Roster

NAME YR Hometown (Last School)
Benson, Christine FR Greensberg Pa. (Greensberg Salem H.S.)
Brown, Katherine SO Level Green, Pa. (Penn Trafford H.S.)
Culbreth, Jamie SR Hochspeyer, Germany (Kaiserslautern American)
Davis, Jennifer SR Severn, Md. (Meade H.S.)
DiScioscia, Sara SR Hampton, Va. (Poquoson H.S.)
Frahm, Kristina SO Oswego Ill. (Oswego East H.S.)
Perez, Martha SO Bogota, Colombia (English School)
Rodriguez, Maria SO Ibague Tolima, Colombia (La Presentacion)
Vilas, Paula FR Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep. (Univ. of APEC)
Young, Kaitlyn FR Sycamore, Ill. (Sycamore H.S.)

Coaches
Sharon Brummell - Head Coach
Doug Dukes - Assistant Coach
Vince Brummell - Volunteer Assistant Coach