By Leandra Cilindrello & Frank Pellino, Guest Writers
They did it again! For the second time in three seasons, the FDU Women’s Bowling Team is champion of the Northeast Conference, after dominating the conference championship on March 26 in Howell, N.J.
“Fairleigh Dickinson won game seven 199-169 to claim the title. They got strikes from Morgan Brown and Morgan Walsh to lead off the game for Fairleigh Dickinson,” fduknights.com reported.
Karsyn Lukosius, who also struck in the fourth, struck in the ninth to put the pressure on Sacred Heart in the tenth.
The Pioneers needed to strike out to have a chance. Melanie Hannon then recorded a strike and eight-spare in the tenth to put the finishing touches on the Knights’ championship win.”
It wasn’t easy for the Knights.
“The intensity of each match, the sounds around you of teams cheering their players on, and that feeling when you throw a perfect strike…nothing beats it,” said FDU bowler Karsyn Lukosius. “During all of these emotions, focus is so important. You have to be able to keep your emotions under control and focus on your frame. Bowling can be so mental sometimes because of your surroundings; it’s up to you how you handle it.”
Being a junior on the women’s bowling team, Lukosius had the opportunity to be named NEC champion twice throughout her time at FDU. Last year, however, the opportunity slipped away.
“Last year, we let the outcome of multiple tournaments affect the rest of our year, this year we kept pushing,” Lukosius said. “We kept pushing for what we knew we could do. In March, we won our first tournament as a team since last year. From there on, we’ve been so confident in one another, which led to the NEC title.”
Rebecca Fischer, a FDU women’s bowling team alumna and NEC champion, was ecstatic over the Knights win.
“I could not be more proud! It has been so incredible to watch them come back after the season we had last year,” Fischer said. “They’ve worked so hard and they deserve to be on top again.”
Although the All-American selections have yet to be made, the NEC honors have, and five Knights have won conference awards, as reported by fduknights.com.
Laura Branch was named the “NEC Rookie of the Year” as well as being named to the Second Team All-NEC.
Senior Morgan Brown and Junior Karsyn Lukosius accompany Branch on the Second Team.
Melanie Hannon, an All-American in 2015, was named to the All-NEC first team for a third consecutive year, fduknights.com reported.
The Knights are ranked as the sixth best team in the country by the National Tenpin Coaches Association.
Two seasons ago they were a fourth seed in the NCAA tournament where they lost in the third round. The Knights have been ranked in the top ten nationally for the last three consecutive seasons.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that all of our hard work paid off in the end,” Lukosius said.
