Mount St. Mary’s Bowling Looks to Continue Hot Start As Postseason Nears

Samuel Barber
MSMU Class of 2022

(3/2021) The casual sports fan usually looks to conventional, mainstream sports like basketball and football to find success stories. It is always important to tune into the sports that do not garner the attention of the greater population. Bowling is seen to most people as a leisure activity; however, it is far from that. The athletes within the bowling community display a high level of athleticism and skill. Mount St. Mary's University is one of the handful of institutions across the country that sponsor bowling as a varsity sport, and the team has certainly lived up to the hype. Despite being a relatively new program, the bowling team has quickly become one of the most beloved teams on campus with fellow athletes, administrators and coaches.

The program, which is in its third season at the Division-I ranks has seen tremendous growth throughout its young, but rich history. The Mountaineers, who are members of the Northeast Conference (NEC), are currently ranked seventh in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTPA) rankings. This is the highest ranking in school history. Success seems to be long-term as they will return all bowlers next season, as this a junior and sophomore laden team.

Mount St. Mary’s brings such a fierce presence to the lanes thanks in part to the junior quartet that is spearheading scoring. Rebecca Dodson has not only taken the NEC by storm but the entire country as well. Her bowling prowess has extended to both the Baker and Traditional games. A Baker game is where five bowlers compete together under one game. Within this playing style, Dodson allotted just south of 21 points per frame (PPF) while carrying a 96-percent overall fill percentage. More impressively, Dodson has also tallied 135 strikes on the year, which leads the team.

Tamera Stanton, a Baltimore, Maryland native, has also her fair share of high-praising accolades. During the 2019-20 season, Stanton bowled more frames (1,124) than any other Mount bowler, this jaw-dropping stat line led her to an Honorable Mention All-American from the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA), as well as earning All-NEC second-team honors. In the midst of her junior campaign, grabbing spares seems to be her specialty, as she has raked in a total of 89.

Amanda Yeung and Danielle Milo have shown tremendous growth as the season has progressed. Yeung, a sophomore from Delaware, is averaging nearly 19.6 points per frame in a Baker game while elevating her playing style in the Traditional game, coming in at 19.9PPF. Meanwhile, for Milo, she is thriving in multiple statistical categories. With a 91.7-percent single-pin spare conversion rating, she joins a host of her teammates with conversion percentages above 90-percent. The junior put together her best performance at the Mount Shootout by bowling an average of 20.02 PPF back in mid-January.

Although the talented juniors and sophomores have built the foundation of the program, it is vital that the younger classes maintain the high levels of success while also building longevity within the team. Alyssa Alexander has seemed to adjust smoothly to the college ranks as the freshman has brought her talents from the West Coast out to the East Coast. A California native, Alexander has lit up the lanes by raking in 113 strikes, as she is undoubtedly the most talented bowler from the Class of 2024. Katherine Corbin also appears to be able to build on some hidden potential. A strong outing in the Traditional game at the Northeast Invitational is something that will surely have fans and teammates alike excited for the future.

What sets this team apart from most top teams in the country is that their success levels extend well beyond an individual standpoint. This is a team that encompasses it all. In a turbulent 2020-21 season, the Mountaineers have managed to compile a record of 28-9 overall and a 7-5 conference mark. Within the 28 wins, Mount St. Mary’s has grappled in plenty of Top-25 wins. The team began their season with the Mount Shootout, which saw the Mountaineers earn a 4-0 sweep of previously #17 Delaware State en route to a 7-0 start to the season.

The emphatic month of January continued at the CSU Lady Eagles Invitational in Baltimore, which was a homecoming event for Tamera Stanton. The Mountaineers carried a record of 3-1 at CSU, which included a dominating near 100-pin victory over #8 North Carolina A&T University. Through the month of January, Mount St. Mary’s compiled an impressive 10-1 record, with their only loss against #17 Delaware State.

With a season record of 10-1, the Mountaineers would begin the month of February at the Northeast Invitational hosted by Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. The team saw its highest level of competition in Philadelphia, as they bowled versus four ranked opponents. Victories over #13 North Carolina A&T and #17 Duquesne highlighted a 7-2 combined effort through Baker and Traditional game styles. More importantly, the three-day event offered plenty of opportunities to boost their conference standing as two other NEC teams were in attendance (Duquesne and Long Island University). Mount St. Mary’s finished a perfect 2-0 versus the two schools.

Much like the latter portions of the Northeast Invitational, the past two tournaments have provided plenty of chances to rake in multiple conference wins while also boosting their standings heading into the final stretch of the regular season. At Wagner Weekend, which was hosted by Wagner College, the Mountaineers saw impressive performances from Dodson and Stanton which powered the team to key victories over the Seahawks, Sharks and Saint Thomas Aquinas College.

During the regular season, the NEC puts on a series of NEC meets where fellow conference foes play against one another. This is somewhat of a precursor event to the real conference meet, which is at the end of the season. The first NEC Meet saw mixed results from Mount St. Mary's. Some may say that it was their poorest outing of the regular season. After racing out to an unblemished conference record, a 5-5 outing saw the team fall to the middle of the conference. Key losses against the likes of Saint Francis (PA) and Sacred Heart were the center point of the event.

Although team success firmly lies on the athletes, the team will only go as far as the coaching takes them. Mount St. Mary’s has one of the best coaches in the business with third-year head coach Kenneth DeGraaf. DeGraaf has seen a plethora of success in the early portions of his coaching career. During his inaugural season, he guided the Mountaineers to as high as 19th in the nation. Over three seasons, the Baker conference matches have been where the Siena Heights alum has been most successful while bringing in a combined record of 58-30 and a 151-72 overall record.

With their seventh-placed ranking in the latest NTPA rankings, Mount St. Mary's is the highest-rated team from the conference. Duquesne University is 17th, Fairleigh Dickinson comes in at 20th while Sacred Heart rounds things out at 21st.