HOWELL, NJ - Monmouth University junior Kaitlyn Reth (Baltimore, MD/Overlea) and seniors Mariah Jacobson (Keister, MN/United South Central) and Valerie Bermudez (Guayanabo, Puerto Rico/Cupey Maria Montessori) each earned All-Tournament status based on scoring average as the Hawks finished competition at the Garden State Classic at Howell Lanes on Sunday.
Reth, who posted a 202.00 average on Sunday during team competition, led the field in her third straight top-10 finish, while Jacobson (194.25) finished fourth overall, and Bermudez (194.25) claimed fifth place to earn All-Tournament accolades. The Hawks' junior Jessica Nannemann (Waterford, WI/Waterford Union) (191.25) stood sixth overall, while sophomore Allison Carola (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) finished ninth (179.00), giving Monmouth the most top-10 finishers on the day.
On Sunday, Monmouth went 4-0 in traditional team games, defeating Felician 954-885 and New Jersey City University 838-612 in its first two matches. In the third game of the day, the Hawks, highlighted by Bermudez's 235, topped the No. 2 nationally-ranked Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 954-898. The Blue & White rounded out its traditional team games with a 753-741 victory over Saint Peter's as Reth charted a 225.
Monmouth, which was seeded second bases on total pin fall from the team games, advanced to the best 2-of-3 Baker Bracket competition (created to determine a champion at this particular event) against Felician. The Hawks, who won the first game, bowed out of the competition as Felician rallied to win the next two games, and advance, as Monmouth finished third overall.
During Saturday's individual event, the starting field of 45 entrants was trimmed to 24 after a four-game qualifying round of total pin fall. The Hawks had eight of their 11 players qualify for the Round of 24, as Nannemann was the number two qualifier with a four-game total of 816. Joining Nannemann were Reth (8th - 733), Jacobson (9th - 730), sophomore Julie Bianco (Holtwood, PA/Penn Manor) (10th - 724), Bermudez (11th - 719), Carola (13th - 702), sophomore Demi May (Conklin, NY/Susquehanna Valley) (18th - 681) and freshman Maritza Darling-Ramos (Chicago, IL/George Washington) (23rd - 658).
After two more games, the field was trimmed to the top eight bowlers, which included Nanneman (4th seed) and Jacobson (8th seed). The players were then paired for a two-game head-to-head match to determine the stepladder finals as Nannemann advanced as the No. 4 seed.
In a stepladder final, the top two seeds got a bye and the number three and four seeds competed as Nannermann fell in a single game, 215-191 to FDU's Becca Fischer.
Monmouth's fall semester competition schedule is complete, and the Hawks will return to action at the Kutztown Invitational at Hiester Lanes in Lancaster, PA on January 22-24.
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