READING, Pa.­- The Bloomfield College women's bowling team kicked off their inaugural season at the Bud Whitman Classic hosted by Kutztown University this past weekend and recorded their first collegiate program victories. The Bears finished the Saturday and Sunday tournament with a 4-6 mark, including wins over Howard University and Coppin State University.
 
Bloomfield dropped their opening two matches, 874-757 to Saint Francis College Brooklyn and a narrow 817-811 loss to Caldwell but registered their first win of the year against Coppin State 786-726. In their next match, the Bears fell to Delaware State, 895-805 and later recovered to finish out Saturday's competition with a 744-705 win over Daemen.
 
On Sunday, Bloomfield also posted a 2-3 record for the day beginning with an 858-818 victory over Howard. The Bears lost the next three games, 824-770, 842-634 and 836-781 respectively to Mount Saint Mary's, Medaille and Chestnut Hill. The team finished the tournament on a high-note, claiming a 736-614 win over Penn State Behrend.
 
"I'm proud of the team and the effort they put forth in their first weekend of play," athletic director, Sheila Wooten said. "Although this is a new program, they showed tremendous effort and represented the College well."
 
Freshman Kiara Powell (Union, NJ) finished with a five-round traditional average of 162.4 and a high game of 208 while sophomore Quinn Hodson (Albany, NY) had a high game of 213 against Howard and averaged 167.2 on the day.
 
The Bears will compete next in the Cougar Classic tournament hosted by Caldwell University beginning on Friday, October 26 thru Sunday October 28.