HAMILTON, N.J. - No. 15 FDU women's bowling finished second at the Northeast Conference Women's Bowling Championship this weekend as the top-seeded Knights fell to defending champion Sacred Heart in the final. The weekend also marked the announcement of senior Cameron Spring as the NEC's Bowler of the Year, the sixth Knight to earn the honor for a total of nine FDU bowlers of the year. Spring was joined on the First Team All-NEC by Julianna Spina while sophomore Allsyha Howard was named to the Second Team.

Spring's earning of the top honor in the league caps a stellar career for the four-year Knight as Spring was named to the All-Rookie Team, the Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-NEC and now Bowler of the Year with a first team nod. Spina dazzled this year with a trio of NEC Bowler of the Week awards, the 2021-22 All-Rookie team selection, stood fourth in the circuit at 20.15 pins per frame and second with a .518 strike percentage.

Howard emerged on the scene as one of the Knights' top bowlers. One of three underclassmen on the second team, she finished the regular season 11th among NEC competitors with a 19.34 frame average and was eighth after rolling strikes at a .469 clip.

In the NEC tournament, FDU first faced #4 Sacred Heart in the first round and a strong traditional start for the Knights was stopped by the Pios with the defending champs coming back for a 2-1 Mega Match lead. The slug fest started with a 1011-986 victory in total pinfall count though in Baker play it would be all Pioneers despite strong lines from Ashley Sham and Natalie Swindell.

Facing elimination on day two, the Burgundy and Blue faced Merrimack. FDU took care of business against the #3 Warriors with a 2-0 win in the first of two elimination Mega Matches of the day to set up an ultimate matchup between the NEC's regular season co-champs in the nightcap.  ot much would separate the league's two top teams in the final Elimination Match as well, as the first two legs of the Mega Match were decided by a total of five pins, with FDU edging Duquesne in both the traditional leg and the quint baker leg by respective 932-931 and 976-972 finals. 

After squeaking by Duquesne in the traditional leg by one pin, FDU had its hands full in the quint baker leg. The Knights led by a 35-pin margin heading through two games, but the Dukes shaved 11 points off that lead in the third before they used a 220-176 advantage in the fourth game to take a 20-point lead.

FDU was locked-in for the final game of the quint baker leg, though, as a best-of-7 quint baker match was not called for after the Knights bested the Dukes by 24 pins with a 214-190 final.

In their league-best eighth NEC title game, FDU again took the traditional point against Sacred Heart though that would be the end of the road as it was all Pioneers down the stretch through the final two legs of the Mega Match.

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