DURHAM, N.C. – Nicole Sciortino of Saint Augustine’s College was honored as the CIAA rookie bowler of the year on Saturday, March 24, 2012 before the start of the CIAA Women’s Bowling Championships at AMF Durham Lanes.

Sciortino, a freshman from Raleigh, N.C., is the first Lady Falcon to win both bowler of the year and rookie of the year in the conference. She was named the CIAA's top bowler and selected to the All-CIAA team earlier in the week. Sciortino received plaques for all three awards on Saturday.

“It feels good,” said Sciortino, the second Lady Falcon named to the All-CIAA team in school history . “I would not have won anything if not for my teammates. They played a big part in me winning three awards. They kept me calm, cool and collected during matches. We have an amazing team.” She rolled a league-high 182.50 average in conference matches including a 255 score in one game, which was the second-highest single-game score in the CIAA this season. Sciortino was selected the league's top bowler earlier in the week.

Sciortino also praised veteran head coach Dot Neal of the Lady Falcons for her success. Neal guided her team to a second-place finish in the CIAA Southern Division and a berth in the eight-team CIAA Championships. The Lady Falcons garnered several votes in the national bowling rankings during the season.

“Coach Neal gave me a pep talk before I bowled and she always talked to me when I was down,” said Sciortino, who admittedly was nervous before matches this season.

Led by Sciortino, the Lady Falcons completed their best regular season ever for the bowling program. They were 44-24 overall including a 40-19 record in the CIAA and a 30-11 mark in the Southern Division. Neal says Sciortino is just scratching the surface as a bowler.

“I’m not really surprised,” said Neal about Sciortino’s achievements this season. “I knew the scouting report on her before she came to St. Aug. She is a good bowler but I know she can do even better. She is a good kid, a good team player and she fits right in.”