Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica, NY, women's bowling team wins second NJCAA National Championship

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Front-Kylie Pasquerella, Nicole Hughes, Krystal Walters, and Kristina Por¬ter. Back-Gary Broadhurst, Morgan Reid, Amber Kotary, Emma Knight, Kayla Brucker, Tom Ruggiero, and coach George Aylesworth

UTICA, NY (04/05/2011)(readMedia)-- It has been an amazing run for the Mohawk Valley Community College women's bowling team as the Hawks captured their second National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship in four years recently in Buffalo.

"This is an amazing group of talented young ladies," said MVCC bowling coach George Aylesworth. "We won because we are a very balanced team. They feed off of each other's strengths to work together and they have fun doing it."

Leading the Hawks was Emma Knight (Binghamton/Windsor HS) who placed third overall to be named NJCAA All-American. She bowled 584 in the three-game singles competition and scored 621 pins in the three-game doubles play. There were two five-man series where she bowled 590 and 461 for a 12-game total of 2,256 pins.

Morgan Reid (Sherburne/Sherburne-Earlville HS) placed sixth overall which earned her NJCAA All-American honors. She bowled 518 in the three-game singles competition and scored 642 pins in the three-game doubles play. In the two five-man series, she bowled 584 and 542 for a 12-game total of 2,186 pins.

Kristina Porter (Seneca Falls/Mynderse Academy) placed 11th overall. She bowled 540 in the three-game singles competition and scored 529 pins in the three-game doubles play. In the two five-man series, she bowled 525 and 495 for a 12-game total of 2,089 pins.

Kylie Pasquerella (Schenectady/Mohonasen HS) finished in 14th place overall while she bowled 469 in the three-game singles competition and scored 692 pins in the three-game doubles play. In the two five-man series, she bowled 544 and 528 for a 12-game total of 2,033 pins.

The Hawks won their first national championship in 2007 under the direction of coach Paul Andrews and now with Aylesworth, in his second year, the team has proven strong in its caliber of play. Competing against teams from across the country during the fall and winter, the tone was set for the regionals and the NJCAA nationals. The Hawks dominated at the nationals over the three days.

The Hawks' total team consists of Reid, Knight, Pasquerella, Porter, Amber Kotary (Rome/Holland Patent HS), Kayla Brucker (Utica/Proctor HS), Nicole Hughes (Holland Patent/Holland Patent HS), Krystal Walters (Randolph/Randolph HS), and Kim Johnson (Sherburne/Sherburne-Earlville HS).

Team scoring at the tournament is based on four scoring events: a three-game doubles event, a three-game singles event, six- games in a five-man team event and nine games of the Baker event (Baker which is a 10-frame game bowled by five rotating team members). The three levels of competition, singles, doubles and, Five-Person team event, are used to calculate the All-Events Champion.

Aylesworth was presented the honor of Women's Coach of the Tournament. The Hawks easily won the Mountain Valley Conference by averaging nearly 1,050 a game and the Region III tournament with a score of 8,652: nearly 500 pins greater than their closest competitor. At the Nationals the Lady Hawks continued to roll on with a team score of 12,236; nearly 400 pins over runner-up Hudson Valley Community College.

"They know what they need to do. As the coach, you work to give them confidence and you're helping them to tweak their shots when their game is slightly off. But in the regionals and nationals you just let them bowl because they know what to do," said Aylesworth. "These girls have been competing together for two years with most being sophomores, but I have two freshmen and a good recruiting class coming in."