HAMILTON, N.J. – The Mercyhurst women's bowling team traveled to Hamilton, New Jersey to take part in their second consecutive NEC Championship over the weekend. After qualifying in both NEC meets with 3^rd and 5^th place finishes, the Lakers were looking to make history and win their first NEC title in program history.
 
Beginning play on Friday, the Lakers came into the tournament as the 4^th seed with Monmouth as the 3^rd seed, Duquesne as the 2^nd seed, and Niagara as the top seed in the field. In their opening traditional match against Niagara, the Lakers took an early lead in the series with a dominant 1,152-994 win over the Purple Eagles.
 
In their Baker series, the Lakers came up short by 36 pins and fell 228-192. Game 2 came down to the wire as the Lakers came away with a 187-186 victory, but Niagara still held a 35-pin lead. The Lakers then won their next pair of games 216-194 and 223-183 respectively. After game 4, the Lakers took the lead by 27 pins before overcoming the Purple Eagles 213-204, solidifying their upset win 1,031-995. With this win, the Lakers were able to advance to the winner's bracket where they were set to face No. 2 seed Duquesne Dukes.
 
On Saturday, the Lakers fell to a 1-0 deficit early to the Dukes after dropping their traditional match 1,032-969.
 
In their Baker series, the Blue and Green battled back and won their first pair of Baker matches 166-157 and 185-167 respectively. This gave the Lakers a 27-pin advantage over the Dukes as the matches intensified. In their third game, the Lakers fell 221-189, giving the Dukes the 5-pin advantage. In game 4, the Dukes dominated and came away with a 255-174 win as well as an 86-pin advantage over the Lakers. The Hurst managed to battle back in the final game and win 215-214, but it was not enough as Duquesne still held an 85-pin advantage over the Lakers. The Dukes ultimately took the 1,014-929 win, earning them a place in the championship round on Sunday while Mercyhurst was sent to an elimination match against Monmouth Saturday afternoon.
 
In their traditional match against Monmouth, the Lakers came roaring back from their defeat to Duquesne and won 1,013-942, securing an early 1-0 lead.
 
In their Baker series, Mercyhurst came away with a pair of wins that saw them gain a 51-pin advantage over the Hawks. Monmouth came back in the third game and won 258-211, but the Lakers were able to maintain a 4-pin lead. The Blue and Green came away with a pair of wins in their final matches, winning 228-211 and 199-158 before advancing to the championship round with a 1,083-1,021 win over the Hawks.
 
This marks the first time where the Lakers have competed for the NEC Championship since joining the conference last season. This also marked the second time the Lakers and Dukes faced off in the tournament.
 
To open Sunday's championship bout, the Dukes came away with the win after a close 975-926 match with the Lakers.
 
In Baker competition, the Dukes came away with a 95-pin advantage after winning the opening pair of matches. The Lakers were able to cut the deficit to 36 pins after a 217-158 win in the third game. Duquesne would then pull away in the final pair of games, winning 203-154 and 232-193, claiming the NEC title in the process.
 
Despite falling in the championship, this marks the furthest the program has ever advanced in the conference tournament.