Stephen F. Austin
NCAA Championships
SFA Finishes As NCAA National Runner-Up
4/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Stephen F. Austin's run at a national championship came up two games short as the Ladyjacks finish second at the 2015 NCAA Bowling Championship. SFA fell 4-2 to national champion Nebraska in the championship match, closing out the season as the national runners-up.
A one-seed versus two-seed showdown, SFA and Nebraska showed why they were the top two teams in the country in game one, battling back and forth before the Cornhuskers prevailed 237-232. The Ladyjacks would respond in a major way in game two, racing past Nebraska 253-178.
Nebraska took the third game 201-171 and looked poised to take the third, holding an 11-pin lead after seven frames. But the Ladyjacks rallied, taking the fourth 188-179 and forcing the championship match into a best-of-three race to the finish. But the Cornhuskers were the ones that hit the key shots over the final two games, rallying past SFA late in game five to win 205-201, then closing out the victory with a 195-154 victory in game six.
The top overall seed, SFA entered Saturday two wins away from the school's first national title at the Division I level. The Ladyjacks stumbled in the opening match of the day, falling 4-2 to Wisconsin-Whitewater. SFA took two of the first three against the Warhawks, but then dropped three-straight to UWW, setting up an elimination rematch.
SFA was able to bounce back in the rematch, eliminating the Warhawks with a 4-2 victory, advancing to the national championship game. SFA took the opener 251-173, then won the second 221-177 to take the early lead. After dropping the third, SFA won the fourth 207-170, then closed out the victory with a 254-195 decision in game six to set up the national title showdown.
SFA had a tournament to remember, posting a 9-3 record at its first appearance in the national tournament in just the program's sixth year of existence. It marks the highest an SFA team has finished in the national standings at the Division I level since football advanced to the 1989 Division I-AA title game.
With a national runner-up showing under its belt, the future looks bright for the Ladyjack bowling program, returning six of the seven bowlers that competed in the NCAA championship, led by NTCA Coach of the Year Amber Lemke. That list includes Freshman of the Year and first team All-American Stephanie Schwartz and honorable mention All-American Paige Kraushaar.
All SFA fans are invited to help welcome home their Ladyjacks and show their appreciation for their memorable run. A welcome home party will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon in the Champions Room at the SFA Fieldhouse.
2015 NCAA Bowling Championships Final Results
Match One -- Wisconsin-Whitewater 4, SFA 2
W, 221-179; L, 194-173; W, 226-179; L, 213-187; L, 213-208; L, 192-191
Semifinals -- SFA 4, Wisconsin-Whitewater 2
W, 251-173; W, 221-177; L, 243-144; W, 207-170; L, 193-179; W, 254-195
Championship -- Nebraska 4, SFA 2
L, 237-232; W, 253-178; L, 201-171; W, 188-179; L, 205-201; L, 195-154
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