Fresh off its first CAA championship title since 2011, the Delaware men’s soccer team has drawn Providence in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament.

The contest will be played at Providence on Thursday at 7 p.m.

“Playing in the NCAA Tournament is a special experience for any student-athlete in any sport,” said Delaware coach Ian Hennessy. “There are so many players that never get to experience this occasion, so I encourage our lads to savor every minute.

“We have two well-known opponents coming up and this group has already shown that they are more than capable of competing with the best in the nation. We are looking forward to getting the ball rolling again.”

The winner of Thursday’s contest will face top-seeded Maryland in the second round on Sunday. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. in College Park, Md.

The Hens played the Terrapins earlier this season, losing 3-2 in overtime.

Delaware (12-7-1) is making its fifth NCAA tourney appearance. The Hens last appeared in the NCAA’s 2013. Delaware advanced to the second round in 2011. Providence (12-6), which is ranked No. 22 nationally, earned a share of the Big East regular-season title.

College bowling

Hornets off to 6-2 MEAC start: The defending MEAC Tournament champion Delaware State bowling team began conference play with a 6-2 overall record this past weekend.

The Hornets were 3-1 in traditional matches and Baker competition to lead all teams.

In Saturday’s traditional contests, DSU posted wins over UMES (971-953), Coppin State (987-820) and Morgan State (1032-848) and fell to Howard (893-907).

Chelsey Merklinger led the Hornets with a total pinfall of 806 in four matches for an average of 201.5. Merklinger posted scores of 205 and 214 in the first two games.

Elizabeth Burkholder had a three-game total pinfall of 579, topped by a score of 226, for an average of 193.

Brianna MacLeod rolled a season-high 233 in her lone match of the weekend, while Kaeli McMaster posted a score of 209 in her first competition of the season.

Amoni Knight posted a team-high score of 224 in the match two win over Coppin State.

The Hornets are now 21-10 overall this season, 10-4 in traditional matches and 11-6 in Baker competition.

College soccer

Polytech grad plays in NCAAs: Alyssa Jacobs, a sophomore midfielder for the Davis & Elkins women’s soccer team, helped the Senators reach the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The Hartly native netted a pair of game-winning goals for Davis & Elkins, which went 10-10 after losing to McKendree, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAAs.

Local sports

Del. Hall nomination meeting slated: A public nomination meeting for the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Marvel Carriage Museum in Georgetown.

Anyone wishing to nominate a candidate should contact Bill Fleischman by Friday at (bfleisch2@verizon.net). Information about the Hall of Fame induction process is available at the musem/hall web site (www.desports.org).

Bowling

Edwards wins Laurel event: A 300 game to begin match play helped carry Ray Edwards (Middle Island, N.Y.) to victory in the PBA50 Craig Pezzano Memorial Tournament on Sunday at Bryan’s Center in Laurel.

Edwards, the No. 3 seed into the top 16 finals after Saturday’s qualifying play, used the perfect game to win his opening best-of-five match 3-1. In the title game, Edwards was good enough to edge Darryl Bowers (Middletown, Pa.), 206-201, to earn $3,000.

Walter Ray Williams Jr, a PBA legend, was a late entry and advanced to Sunday’s second round before he was eliminated. Mike Hastings of Millsboro was the only Delaware entry to make match play and went to a fifth and final game before being sidelined in the opening round.