Prairie View A&M closed the first day of the SWAC West Roundup in strong position Friday at Max Bowl in Humble, Texas, finishing second in the team standings with 4,489 total pins through five traditional matches. The Panthers sit behind only Jackson State, which leads after day one with 4,789 pins, as the three-day event hosted by Prairie View A&M continues through Sunday.
The Panthers opened the day with one of their most complete performances, edging Texas Southern 986-956 in the first traditional match. That early win helped set the tone for a four-win day, as Prairie View A&M followed with a 780-530 victory over Grambling in the second match and a 946-771 decision over Florida A&M in the third. The Panthers added an 867-856 win over Alabama State in the fourth match before falling to Jackson State in the finale, 975-910, in a matchup of the top two teams on the leaderboard.
Chandler Townsend paced Prairie View A&M individually with 948 total pins, placing seventh overall after the first five traditional matches. She was closely followed by Nevaeh Brown, who totaled 933 pins to sit in eighth. The Panthers showed balanced scoring throughout the day, with Miranda Fuentes contributing 883 pins, Skylar Alexander adding 866 pins and Caroline Lewis finishing with 859 pins to round out a consistent starting rotation.
Brown delivered two of the highest games of the day for Prairie View A&M, rolling a 214 in the opening match and a 221 in the third match against Florida A&M to help the Panthers build separation in both wins. Alexander provided an early spark in match one, stringing together five consecutive strikes in the first five frames to help power Prairie View A&M's 986-pin total against Texas Southern. That early surge proved critical in a narrow 30-pin victory that set the Panthers on a four-match win streak to start the event.
Prairie View A&M continued to show resilience in close situations, particularly in the fourth match against Alabama State. In that contest, the Panthers held off a late charge from the Hornets to secure an 11-pin win, 867-856, preserving a perfect record heading into the final match of the day. Jackson State, however, matched its tournament-leading form in the finale, using a 975-pin performance to hand the Panthers their lone loss of day one, 975-910.
With four wins in five traditional matches and a 4,489-pin total, Prairie View A&M remains firmly in contention entering the second day of the SWAC West Roundup. The Panthers will return to the lanes Saturday and Sunday at Max Bowl looking to close the gap on Jackson State and build on a day marked by high individual scores, early-match momentum and consistent production throughout the lineup.
