Bowling Heads To Pennsylvania For Nation's Biggest Tournament
1/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
Jan. 28, 2010
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Ladyjack bowling team will join several of the nation's top women's bowling teams in Pennsylvania this weekend for the second Kutztown University Invitational. This will be the second year that Kutztown has hosted the Invitational tournament with the event will run from Friday, Jan. 29 - Sunday, Jan. 31 at Heister Lanes in Reading, Pa.
Twenty-eight teams will be making the trip to Reading to make the event the largest this year in the nation. Included in the field will be 15 of the top 20 teams from the latest National Tenpins Coaches Association (NTCA) poll. The three-day event begins Friday at noon with five four-game baker matches.
Saturday's action starts at 9:30 a.m. with six traditional team matches. The event concludes Sunday at 8:30 a.m. with two four-game baker matches. At approximately 11 a.m., reseeding of the teams will take place, followed by best of seven baker matches. The tournament will conclude around 2 p.m. with a brief awards ceremony.
The field includes the nation's top three teams according to latest NTCA top 25 poll: No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 2 Maryland-Eastern Shore and No. 3 Delaware State. Fifth-ranked Farleigh-Dickinson will also participate in the tournament. Overall, eight of the top 10 teams will compete in the KU Invitational.
"This is another great opportunity for our team with a chance to put our girls up against some of the best teams in the country," head coach Laura Cramer said.
Including ninth-ranked and host Kutztown, other ranked teams in the tournament are Central Missouri (No. 7), New Jersey City (No. 8), St. Francis (No. 10), Aldelphi (No. 11), Valparasio (No. 12), Wisconsin-Whitewater (No. 16), Southern (No. 17), Sacred Heart (No. 18), Norfolk State (No. 19) and Morgan State (No. 20).
The Ladyjacks are also one of four teams in the field who received votes in the last poll along with Florida A& M, St. Peter's and Hampton. In addition the tournament features Cheyney, Penn State-Altoona, Coppin State, Medaille, Bethune-Cookman, Howard, Long Island, SUNY-IT, and North Carolina Central.
"We have played well this year, and the way we finished our last tournament was very encouraging," Cramer said. "Hopefully we can get some of that energy and momentum to carry over to this weekend."
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