The 2012 James Brown Bowling Invitational hosted by Morgan State University came to an end on Feb. 19 with Fairleigh Dickinson claiming the crown at the AMF Towson Lanes. The Knights captured the tournament title with a 4-2 win over Nebraska in the best-of-seven Baker title match.
Nebraska placed second, while the University of Central Missouri finished third. Vanderbilt and New Jersey City rounded out the top five. Host Morgan State placed 14th out of the 23 team field.
The Lady Bears began the competition going 3-1 on the day during the five quad Baker matches. Morgan State defeated Bethune-Cookman (749-654), North Carolina A&T (760-682) and earned a bye (687-0, before falling to Kutztown (642-711). The team then defeated Fayetteville State (768-626).
In Saturday’s traditional team games Morgan State went 3-2. Morgan started out by losing to Maryland Eastern Shore (962-846) and Nebraska (1,016-982). The Lady Bears then defeated Delaware State (911-865), Fairleigh Dickinson (1,000-938) and Florida A&M (921-781).
The Lady Bears concluded the tournament on Sunday with the best-of-seven Baker format in bracket play and went 1-1. Morgan State defeated Elmhurts 4-0 and lost to North Carolina A&T in a tie breaker, 3-4 in a battle of 13th-place.
Morgan State sophomore Atoya Leatherbury was the top performer for the Lady Bears with a total pinfall of 979. Leatherbury, who led the team with a 195.8 average in five games, rolled three 200-plus games, including a high-game of 224 against Nebraska.
Junior Sagirah Wheeler was second on the team with a total of 972 pins and an average of 194.4. Senior Keisheena Waldon competed in her final James Brown Bowling Invitational, formerly known as the Morgan State Bowling Invitational and rolled two 200-plus games, including a high of 205 against Delaware State.
Fellow Baltimore-based school Coppin State picked up two victories of its own at the James Brown Invitational. CSU defeated Cheyney during team play and beat Virginia State in baker system play. Coppin went on to finish 22nd in the event.
Both Coppin State and Morgan State return to action on March 3rd-4th as they compete in the final Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) North Division competition of the season in Dover, Del.
