Michaela Palumbo leads Mineola to third straight Nassau girls bowling team title
Michaela Palumbo of Mineola reacts after putting the finishing touches on her team's victory in the large schools bracket of the Nassau girls bowling team championships at Bowlero in East Meadow on Saturday. Credit: James Escher
In a familiar setting, Michaela Palumbo and Mineola proved once again to be up to the challenge of defending a county championship.
The Mustangs compiled a six-game total of 5,026 to capture their third consecutive Nassau title on Saturday morning in the girls bowling team championships at Bowlero in East Meadow. Palumbo had a six-game total of 1,113 and a high game of 201 for the Division I champions.
MacArthur finished second with a total of 4,805 pins and Herricks placed third with 4,609.
“I’m very proud of the group and happy to have the opportunity to go up to states again, especially in my senior year,” Palumbo said. “We knew we were going to be in for a fight today, so we were a little nervous, but we focused on picking up those spares and winning games.”
Mineola took a 1,716-1,575 lead over MacArthur after two games, but the Generals cut into the lead after knocking down 858 pins in the third game.
Kaitlyn Girardi rolled a 201 in Game 3 to help MacArthur cut its deficit to 81 pins. Holland Boder, who had a 1,109 composite score, rolled a 209 in the third game.
“When we switched lanes to go up against them, we got nervous and tightened up a bit,” Palumbo said. “Coach [Mark] Miller calmed us down, telling us that we know how we’re capable of performing. If you mess up on a frame you can’t get it back, you have to look forward.”
Mineola responded and went on to outscore MacArthur in each of the remaining three games. Kelsey Morrison rolled a 1,050 over six games and had a 191 in Game 2. Kate Flynn rolled a 190 in Game 2 for Mineola.
“We felt quite a bit of pressure, knowing our soccer and girls volleyball team won county championships in the fall,” Morrison said. “We wanted to keep things going for the school and secure the three-peat.”
Seaford's dynasty rolls on
The Seaford girls bowling team continued its dominating run by securing its third straight county title and sixth in the past seven years. The Division II champions had the top overall score, knocking down 5,059 pins.
“There’s always a bit of nerves, even though we have a good idea of what we can do and how far we can go at this point,” Megan Reder said. “It just becomes a matter of living up to the expectations and I think we did a good job of doing that.”
The Vikings bowled an 802 in the first game and increased their lead as the games went on. Clarke finished second in Division II with a total of 4,322.
Reder had a composite score of 1,103 with a high game of 204 in Game 4, Kaylee Craft had a 1,005 six-game series with a high game of 229 in Game 2 and Ava Caruso finished with a 997 series for Seaford.
“Game 2 was really good for me, that was my new high game,” Craft said. “My third and fourth games didn’t go as well, but my teammates helped pick me up and helped push me.”
Seaford and Mineola will have the opportunity to travel to Syracuse to compete for a state championship at AMF Strike 'N Spare Lanes. The Vikings will be in action on March 8, in the Division II championship, while the Mustangs will compete for the Division I title on March 10.
“We love going up to Syracuse, we always have a blast when we do,” Reder said. “We’re going to get a lot of practice in and hopefully perform well.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
