HARAHAN, La. – Florida A&M Bowling turned in an 11th place finish over the weekend, concluding play at the season-opening Colonial Lanes Classic hosted by Tulane at Colonial Lanes in Harahan, Louisiana. The three-day event took place October 9-11.
 
Florida A&M ended the three-day event with a 4-9 record overall, accumulating 11,057 total pins and a 170.1 average, respectfully.
 
Nikia Thomas, a junior from Canal Winchester, Ohio, led the Rattlers, placing 10th in the individual standings with 1,007 pins over five games and a 201.4 average. She was one of 12 bowlers to top 1,000 pins overall on the weekend, and rolled a team single-game traditional match high 245 in her second game on Saturday.
 
Briana Buezon, a sophomore from Doha, Qatar, added 841 pins (168.2 average) in five games.
 
Sophomore Bree Stewart totaled 663 pins in four games (165.8), Allysa Metellus had 498 in three (166.0), Alieenah Rodriguez 426 in three (142.0), Brianna Davidson 411 in three (137.0) and Aniyah Franklin 305 in two (152.5) to round out the scorers for the Rattlers on the weekend.
 
In Baker matches, the Rattlers went 2-3 and totaled 4,379 pins, the seventh-most in the field. After an 810-993 opening loss to eventual champion Louisiana Tech, Florida A&M beat fellow Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) members Texas Southern 932-824 and Southern University 911-858.
 
Tulane (981-821) and Prairie View A&M (973-905) won the final two Baker matches against the Orange and Green on Friday's opening round of action.
 
FAMU went 1-4 in traditional matches, totaling 4,151 pins.
 
The Rattlers lone win was a 923-887 decision over Oklahoma Christian, their best traditional team total of the weekend, powered by Thomas' 245. They lost to UAB 870-760, Sam Houston State 995-809, Alabama A&M 903-794 and Alabama State 987-865, respectively.
 
FAMU opened Sunday's tournament bracket play with a 4-0 loss to Texas Southern (744-582 in total pins), then fell 4-0 to Alabama A&M (734-670). Against Oklahoma Christian, the Rattlers trailed 3-1 before winning games 5, 6 and 7 by scores of 213-185, 170-147 and 179-170. They finished with 1,275 pins to the Eagles' 1,239 in a match that went the full seven games.
 
Louisiana Tech (12-1) won the title with a 4.5-1.5 victory over North Carolina A&T (11-2) in the final. Sam Houston State beat host Tulane 4.5-2.5 for third place, leaving the Green Wave (10-3) fourth. North Carolina A&T's Payton Hartgrove won the individual crown with 1,108 pins and a 221.6 average.
 
The Rattlers will have a break before getting back to the lanes October 30-31, staying in the "Sunshine State" to compete in the Destination Florida event in Orlando, hosted by Sacred Heart.
 
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