New Castle, Del. – (12/2/2018) – Chestnut Hill College climbed the bracket ladder to win (1^st of 12, 9W-4L, 4,127-4,362, 8489 pins) the Wildcat Division II/Division III Invitational as the fourth seeded Griffins stacked victories over Molloy College (W, 161-158), Adelphi University (W, 179-160), and Caldwell University (W, 194-166) to finish the weekend at 9-4. The weekend's final victory over the Cougars marked the 100^th win in the program's three-year history.
 
Chestnut Hill College (23-12) faced Molloy College in the first match of the bracket round. The Griffins lost the first game, 186-163, but managed to reel off four consecutive wins to move on, 4-1. Sophomore Lauren Klein (Horsham, Pa.) was a perfect, 10-for-10, on filled frames.
 
CHC    163     198     167     166     161     4
MC      186     182     163     162     158     1
 
Adelphi University was the Scarlet and Gold's next opponent. Chestnut Hill College initially took a 3-1 lead, but the Panthers bounced back to force a seventh game. Fortunately, the Griffins regained their focus and won the last game, 179-160, to earn a championship appearance versus Caldwell University. Senior Kara Wireman (Telford, Pa.) led the Scarlet and Gold with a 90% full frame percentage.
 
CHC    170     126     177     186     152     166     179     4
AU      168     171     121     145     225     204     160     3
 
In the championship match, the Cougars took an early 2-0 lead over the Griffins, but a spirited Scarlet and Gold performance won the next three games. Unfortunately, Caldwell University forced a seventh game with a 200-184 game-six victory. In the final game, Chestnut Hill College put together their best game of the set defeating the Cougars, 194-166, and taking the invitational title. Wireman filled 12-of-14 frames to lead the way.
 
CHC    156     150     154     168     178     184     194     4
CU      198     163     134     148     170     200     166    3

Chestnut Hill College rested in eighth place (8^th of 12, 4,127 pins) after the first day of play. A strong second day from sophomore Christina Del Vecchio (Warrington, Pa.) advanced the Griffins to fourth place (4^th of 12, 4,127-4,362, 8,489 pins) for today's bracket competition. The Scarlet and Gold finished last year's Wildcat DII/DIII Invitational in third place (3^rd of 12, 11W-2L, 12,128 pins). Chestnut Hill College returns to the lanes after the New Year as they are scheduled to compete next on Friday, January 18, when they travel to Limerick Bowl for the Kutztown University Invitational.