April 13, 2011
TAYLOR, Mich. – A busy Wednesday in Motor City was capped when Vanderbilt’s Brittni Hamilton, Jessica Earnest and Samantha Hesley earned All-American honors Wednesday night at the NCAA Tournament Banquet.
Hamilton and Earnest were voted to the National Ten Pin Coaches Association second-team while Hesley was selected on the third honor squad.
Hamilton has twice been a first-team All-American and her 207 pin per game average this year is actually five better than a year ago. Earnest, last year’s Rookie of the Year, averaged 202 over 48 sport-shot games while Hesley, a transfer this year, averaged 201 in the anchor position.
The Commodores went through a 90-minute mid-day practice at the Skore Lanes in preparation for tomorrow’s first official tournament day. Following their practice, each team member had to select and enter just five balls for tournament use. The process to have each ball weighed and approved by tournament officials required approximately 45 minutes.
With the bulk of the afternoon open, the squad went into the city to tour “Hitsville USA”, the legendary recording studio turned museum for Detroit’s famous Motown Sound from 1959-1972. The team’s guided 90-minute tour of the house/studio where a galaxy of stars such as Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gay, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight and a young Michael Jackson recorded ended with the team’s choreographed, playful rendition of The Supremes’ “Stop in the Name of Love.”
The tournament begins Thursday with four traditional team games to be played and the double-elimination match bracket to be established off the total pin count from those games.
Thursday’s practice opens at 9:20 a.m. with games starting at 9:50.
2011 NTCA All-America Teams
First Team
Maria Rodriguez, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Natalie Jiminez, Central Missouri
Danielle McEwan, Fairleigh Dickinson
Kristina Frahm, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Tracy Ganjoin, Fairleigh Dickinson
Second Team
Brittni Hamilton, Vanderbilt
Nicole Trudell, Sacred Heart
Thea Aspiras, Norfolk State
Jessica Earnest, Vanderbilt
Martha Perez, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Third Team
Sara Littereal, Fairleigh Dickinson
Addileen Pointer, Alabama A & M
Samantha Hesley, Vanderbilt
Joely Carrillo, Fairleigh Dickinson
Anggie Ramirez, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Honorable Mention
Danilelle van der Meer, Nebraska
Samantha Santoro, Kutztown
Dayna Galganski, Sam Houston State
Kara Richard, entral Missouri
Natalie Cortese, Valparaiso
Kim Wallace, Central Missouri
Kayla Jones, Kutztown
Verra Diggs, Bowie State
Kelly Daunno, New Jersey City
Emily Fravel, Arkansas State
Players of the Year
Division I – Maria Rodriguez, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Division II/ – Natalie Jiminez, Central Missouri
Rookies of the Year
Division I – Nicole Trudell, Sacred Heart
Division II/III – Kara Richard, Central Missouri
Coach of the Year
Division I – Mike LoPresti, Fairleigh Dickinson
Division II/III – Joe Ambrose, Kutztown University
