Oct. 16, 2007

LANCASTER, PA - The men's bowling team finished its first tournament of the 2007-08 season this past weekend in 19th place out of a field of 28 teams at the Pennsylvania Classic. Junior Peter Ruggiero (Yorktown, NY) led the way with a 209 average over six games.

Ruggiero had been struggling in practice forcing Coach McKeon to send him down to the practice lanes in the early games of the tournament. He entered in game four and was right there with the leaders for the remainder of the tournament.

While the finish may have been disappointing, head coach Ray McKeon saw many positives to build on for the rest of the season. "Going into our first event of the year with three freshmen competing in their first collegiate tournament it was difficult to predict how the team would respond," said the second-year coach. "After some early struggles, the freshmen settled in and were able to contribute while gaining valuable experience."

McKeon was particularly impressed with the play of freshman Dan Tamburro (Franklin Lakes, NJ). "Dan proved this weekend that he has the skills and drive to compete at the collegiate level" McKeon said. "While he did not strike as much as we would've like, he showed that he has the ability to convert his spare attempts, which is the key to success in collegiate bowling. "

The Pioneers next competition will be at the first of four Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Conference meets in Wallington, NJ.