Reigning Champion Ladyjacks Second in NTCA Preseason Poll
10/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Reigning national champion Stephen F. Austin enters the 2016-17 season ranked second in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) preseason poll, announced by the organization.
The Ladyjacks finished with 1,302 points in the preseason poll, 10 points back of preseason favorite Nebraska’s 1,312. The second-place ranking comes despite SFA receiving 22 of the possible 37 first-place votes, compared to just eight first place votes for the Cornhuskers.
The Southland Bowling League looks to once again establish itself as the premiere conference nationally as seven of the league’s eight teams are among the preseason top-25 poll, including four teams ranked among the top six. Arkansas State is third with two first-place votes, followed by Vanderbilt in fourth and Sam Houston State in sixth. The Commodores received four first place votes with the Bearkats receiving one.
After reaching the national championship match in each of the past two seasons, SFA is looking to make a third-straight trip to the NCAA National Championships, being held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, April 13-15. The Ladyjacks return nearly their entire squad from last year’s national championship run, including reigning NTCA National Player of the Year Stephanie Schwartz and 2015 honorable mention All-American Paige Kraushaar.
The Ladyjacks begin their title defense in a little over two weeks in Orlando, Florida, competing in the Bethune-Cookman Wildcat Invitational October 21-23. It is the first of 10 NCAA events for SFA, five of which will take place during a seven-week stretch in the fall semester.
2016-17 NTCA Preseason Poll
1. Nebraska (8) – 1,312 pts.
2. Stephen F. Austin (22) – 1,302 pts.
3. Arkansas State (2) – 1,206 pts.
4. Vanderbilt (4) – 1,152 pts.
5. McKendree – 1,137 pts.
6. Sam Houston State (1) – 1,029 pts.
7. Central Missouri – 905 pts.
8. North Carolina A&T – 841 pts.
9. Wisconsin-Whitewater – 797 pts.
10. Fairleigh Dickinson – 767 pts.
11. Maryland-Eastern Shore – 671 pts.
12. Delaware State – 576 pts.
13. LIU-Brooklyn – 561 pts.
14. Sacred Heart – 419 pts.
15. St. Francis (Pa.) – 398 pts.
16. Monmouth – 320 pts.
17. Kutztown – 296 pts.
18. Tulane – 260 pts.
19. Adelphi – 257 pts.
20. St. Francis (N.Y.) – 224 pts.
21. Valparaiso – 133 pts.
22. Prairie View A&M – 93 pts.
23. Norfolk State – 85 pts.
24. Jackson State – 66 pts.
25. Elmhurst College – 47 pts.
Southland Bowling League teams in bold
-SFA-
