WASHINGTON (March 23, 2023) - The 2023 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Bowling Championship will be another sacred opportunity for Howard University head coach Ron Davis to continue watching his young team take positive steps as they continue to lay a foundation for future success.
 
Do not get it twisted, Davis wants to be the last team standing, but he's also realistic as Howard competes this weekend at Pinboy's at the Beach [1577 Laskin Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23451].
 
"The main thing that excites me is I have a team with mostly freshmen," Davis said. "They have a golden opportunity to compete in a championship environment. They have been working hard this year. They are getting a taste of what they came to Howard for."
 
The Bison have battled this year and compete in an elite bowling conference, which will make Howard stronger. The MEAC currently has four nationally-ranked programs, per the National Tenpin Coaches Association's (NTCA) most recent Top 25 poll. North Carolina A&T State is ranked No. 7, followed by Maryland Eastern Shore (No. 10), Delaware State (No. 21) and Morgan State (No. 24).
 
"We understand that we have to put everything together this weekend," Davis said. "Our conference is so competitive. As a coach, I must be on top [of my game] for these ladies so we can win. Most of the Howard sports teams are stepping up and succeeding. We want to follow it."
 
Davis had to replace plenty of seniors from last season's team. The best part is future Howard bowlers can attend a school renowned for its historical and cultural significance in the world, receive a world-class education and compete against elite competition.
 
Davis' roster features freshmen Sydney Allison (Ypslianti, Mich.), Janae Pugh (Chicago) and Cameren Sullivan (Chicago) and sophomores Carys Carr (Rochester, N.Y.) and Ryleigh Ferguson (Stafford, Va.). The only upperclassmen are junior Aleyana DeBrest (Philadelphia) and senior Vanessa Johnson (Chicago). They have all enjoyed some shining moments during the 2022-23 campaign.
 
"I have been impressed with these young ladies," Davis said. "I am glad that Howard allows them to come to a great University and represent. My assistant coach, Carolyn Williams, has done a great job recruiting. We do plenty of drills and planning with these young ladies. At the same time, they are gaining the experience to achieve their goals."
 
Sullivan leads Howard with a 177.1 average in 40 games. She has topped 200 in five of the seven events this season, including a high game of 247 at the second MEAC meet. DeBrest has a 166.5 average with a high game of 230 at the James Brown Invitational. Allison is averaging 150 and has a high game of 233 at the second MEAC meet.
 
Johnson had a pair of 200 games. She also sizzled at the second MEAC meet with a season-best 212. She also rolled a 209 at the Mount Shootout and has a 148.6 average. Ferguson had her best performance of the season at the second MEAC meet, finishing with a 177. Pugh's top effort was a 183 in the Hawk Traditional Game.
 
"Our main thing this weekend is staying strong as a team throughout the tournament," Sullivan said. "We want to make sure everybody stays excited and encourages each other whether we're winning or losing. Having a good attitude about everything is the main goal. The way we competed at the last MEAC meet gives us a lot of confidence because we see what we can do when we put our minds to it and focus. We did well last time we competed against the MEAC. We don't want to let up and be greater than we were."
 
While those scoring totals have been strong building blocks for the Bison, the number that fills Davis with the most pride is 3.49, Howard's overall team grade point average.
 
Johnson, Pugh, and Sullivan are all from Chicago, which gives the Bison an excellent Midwest connection. Sullivan and Pugh are nursing majors, while Allison and Ferguson are biology majors. Carr is a science major, DeBrest is majoring in health management and Johnson is majoring in physiology with a minor in law.
 
"I am proud of every one of them and the effort they put into the sport," Davis said. "They have made a great commitment to coming to practice and maintaining high academic grades, which has been great too. I am glad we are feeding off the young ladies that graduated. I am happy that I was able to bring in young ladies to fit into our program. We haven't missed a beat besides experience and that's coming."
 
Eight of the MEAC's nine bowling programs will compete in the double-elimination tournament, with an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Bowling National Championship (April 14-15 in Las Vegas) on the line.
 
The competition will begin on Friday (March 23) at 9 a.m., with four opening-round matches. Top seed and regular-season champion North Carolina A&T State, which has won the last two tournament titles, will take on No. 8 seed Howard. No. 2 Maryland Eastern Shore will face No. 7 Norfolk State, No. 3 Monmouth will take on No. 6 Coppin State and No. 4 UAB will face No. 5 Morgan State.
 
Delaware State finished second in the regular-season standings but will not compete in the 2023 MEAC Bowling Championship after the program's decision to conclude its season on March 1.
 
Friday afternoon will see two elimination matches and two winners' bracket matches at 2 p.m., before Saturday's (March 25) action begins at 9 a.m., with two more elimination matches. One finalist will be determined in a Saturday afternoon match at 2 p.m., and there will also be another elimination match at that time.
 
Sunday will see the second finalist determined in a 9 a.m. elimination match and the championship final will begin at 2 p.m. ESPNU will re-air the game Monday, April 3, at 6 p.m.
 
Except for Sunday's championship match, the tournament will be held in Mega Match format (each match featuring a best-of-three format with five-person team play, followed by Baker total pinfall and then Baker best-of-seven; the team that wins two of the three formats wins the match).
 
The championship final will be a best-of-seven Baker format.
 
Please visit the Championship Central page for more information on the 2023 MEAC Bowling Championship.
 
Rob Knox is an award-winning professional. A member of the Lincoln (Pa.) Hall of Fame, Knox currently serves as the Senior Director of Strategic Communications for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Knox enjoyed a distinguished career as an athletics communicator for Lincoln, Kutztown, Coppin State, Towson, and UNC Greensboro. He also worked at ESPN and for the Delaware County Daily Times. Recently, Knox was honored by CSC with the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award and the NCAA with its Champion of Diversity award. Knox is a graduate of Lincoln University and a past president of the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.