Marc My Words!

Marc Maturo’s official sports column 

McEwan, Team USA keep rolling around the globe

            North Rockland High School alumna Danielle McEwan has used her will and skills in bowling to see the world, including such locales as South Africa and most recently, Cali, Colombia.

McEwan, of Stony Point, helped Team USA dominate the field to win the gold medal at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Women’s Championships – in the process sweeping the All-Events medals and, perhaps more importantly, qualifying for the 2015 Pan American Games.

Team USA reportedly opened a lead of nearly 150 points in the first game of team events, and rolled to a record-breaking six-game accumulation of 6,738 (224.60 average) at the Cali Bowling Coliseum.

Canada gained the silver medal with 6,301, and Mexico earned the bronze with 6,195.

For the triumphant USA side, Missy Parkin led the way with 1,452 and was followed by Liz Johnson (1,375), Kelly Kulick (1,341), Shannon O’Keefe (1,261), Shannon Pluhowsky (664) and McEwan (645).

The United States won the event by 428 tenpins, and broke its own PABCON Women’s Championship record of 6,712 established two years ago.

“We bowled amazing and it was just incredible,” Parkin was quoted as saying. “We were really good at communicating with each other and keeping up with the moves, which was important because the lanes were changing quickly.”

          Parkin set a record of her own as she shattered the All-Events record with a 24-game total of 5,515 (229.79 average). Kulick, who won the silver with 5,426, held the previous All-Events record of 5,463, set in 2008. Johnson took the bronze medal with 5,354 to complete a Team USA sweep.

STREAK SNAPPED: All good things come to an end, including an 11-match winning streak that the College of New Rochelle volleyball team put together, helped in part by Meghan King of New City. The Blue Angels, now 11-4 overall on the season, made it 11 straight by defeating UMass-Dartmouth before falling to Western Connecticut State in Danbury, Conn.   King, a senior who was graduated from Clarkstown North HS, had seven kills in the victory, lifting her season total to a team second-best 125. The Blue Angels are home on Sept. 27, meeting Mitchell College at 11 a.m., and the College of Saint Elizabeth at 3 p.m.

 ROOKIE ON THE RUN: North Rockland High School alum Asaad Jeffrey led the way for the St. Thomas Aquinas College cross country team at the LIU Post Invitational, crossing the line in 27:22 in his collegiate debut. The Haverstraw resident was named East Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for his solid effort, which was good for 32^nd place. The Spartans’ men’s and women’s teams next compete on Sept. 27 at the Harry F. Anderson Homecoming Invitational at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. The first race is set for 11 a.m.

GO ARMY!: Tickets to Army hockey games in West Point are on sale, with 14 games scheduled at Tate Rink. Expected highlight games include Atlantic Hockey Association matchups against last season’s champion Robert Morris, Bentley, Holy Cross, Sacred Heart, Canisius, Mercyhurst and American International. Connecticut is also making a trip to Tate Rink, but as a Hockey East foe for the first time and ECAC Hockey and Ivy League member Brown comes to West Point on Halloween night. On Jan. 24, Army renews its rivalry with the Royal Military College. Individual game seats range from $10-$20 per game depending on the opponent. Bleacher tickets range from $9-$15. Group tickets for those with 10 or more in their party are also available for purchase. Season tickets for chairback seats are still available and can be purchased for $205 for the general public and $144 for West Point faculty/staff. Bleacher seats are $126 each for the year, while the popular rink side seats, which include food and beverage, are available for the fourth straight season at $320 for Army A Club members. Visit www.goARMYsports.com/tickets for more information.

QUICK HITTERS: The Dominican College volleyball team, which elevated its record to 4-0 after defeating visiting Stonehill College, travels to Post University in Waterbury, Conn., on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. The Lady Chargers return home for back-to-back 7 p.m. contests at the Hennessy Center in Orangeburg against Bloomfield College on Oct. 3 and Goldey-Beacom on Oct. 4. … … Sophomore midfielder/defender Julia Calandra of Suffern has started four games on the field hockey team at Oswego State, which hosts New Paltz at 4 p.m. on Sept. 26 and Oneonta at 1 p.m. on Sept. 27. … Sophomore Taryn Colon of Suffern and the New Paltz cross country team will be competing at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., at 10 a.m. on Oct. 3. … Suffern HS alumna Katelyn Cordero of Airmont is having a sparkling freshman season as goalkeeper on the women’s soccer team at SUNY New Paltz. The Hawks, who are 6-3 behind Cordero, host Cortland on Sept. 26 at 4 p.m. and Oswego on Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. … Junior defenseman Edel Fernandez of New City, a graduate of Clarkstown North HS, has started three games for the Purchase College men’s soccer team. The Panthers, who went 4-2-1 to start the season, visit Farmingdale State on Sept. 27 and the College of Staten Island on Sept. 29. … Freshman Caitlin Bravo of Pearl River and sophomore Julie Gavin of Tappan are running at Iona College, which competes at the Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 3 at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. … New Paltz senior midfielder Deirdre O’Neill of New City, on a feed by Kayla McKeveny of Holbrook, scored on a perfectly executed penalty corner with less than two minutes remaining, but visiting Rochester held on for a 3-2 victory in a non-conference field hockey contest. … Brendan Collins of Tompkins Cove is a senior forward on the men’s soccer team at Alfred University, which hosts Nazareth College on Sept. 27 for an Empire 8 contest at 7 p.m. … Victoria Grix of Pearl River is on the volleyball team at SUNY Cortland, which fell to Salisbury and nationally sixth-ranked Juniata at the Juniata Invitational in Huntingdon, Pa. The Red Dragons (6-11) begin SUNYAC play Sept. 26-27 at Oneonta. The Red Dragons face Potsdam at 5 p.m. on Sept. 26, and will play Oneonta and New Paltz on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.​, respectively. … Senior Renee Roncace of Valley Cottage was the top finisher for Dominican College, running 26^th with a clocking of 23:34 as the Lady Chargers placed 10^th at the Ramapo College Cross Country Invitational at Garret Mountain Park in Woodland Park, N.J. … Ramapo HS graduate Jason Dorsaniville of Suffern, a defensive lineman; North Rockland HS alum Adrian Senat of Haverstraw, a sophomore defensive back; and Ramapo HS graduate Rodney Etienne of Spring Valley, a sophomore quarterback, are members of the unbeaten football team at Alfred University. The Saxons (3-0) host Ithaca College on Sept. 27 for a 1 p.m. game at Yunevich Stadium. … Gina Yannette of Dumont, N.J., had a season-high 13 saves as the Dominican College women’s soccer team played to a scoreless double-overtime tie with Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) opponent Caldwell (N.J.) University at Caldwell Field. Also playing for Dominican under Coach Lona Ozrek are freshman midfielder Jamie Nevins of Blauvelt and junior defender Katie Burrell, freshman defender Kaitlyn Modera and sophomore forward Erica Ronda, all from New City. The Lady Chargers host Chestnut Hill College of Philadelphia on Sept. 28 at noon. … Senior Laurie Child of Surrey, England, and Michael Wagner of Chester scored but the St. Thomas Aquinas College men’s soccer team fell to LIU Post, 3-2, in an East Coast Conference contest on the road. The Spartans are home on Sept. 27 at their new field off Route 340 in Sparkill, meeting Dowling College at 2:30 p.m. as the back end of a doubleheader with the women’s teams. … Dominican College women’s volleyball player McKenzie John of Lafayette, La., was named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Week. The Lady Chargers visit the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia on Sept. 27 and Post University on Sept. 30 before returning home on Oct. 3 to meet Bloomfield (N.J.) College at 7 p.m. … Nyack College alum Camden Lawrence has been named interim head coach of the golf program after Earl Miller stepped down to continue in his role as the college’s executive director of community relations. Lawrence, who is completing his master’s degree, was a golf team captain and cross country runner. … The New Paltz women’s cross country team, including sophomore Taryn Colon of Suffern, has cracked the top ten of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic Region. The Hawks are tied with the University of Rochester for 10th place in the region. The Hawks’ next competition is at Lehigh University in the Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. in Bethlehem, Pa.