Friday, October 19
New Orleans, La.
All Day
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Invitational
Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography
Bowling Begins 2018-19 Campaign at Tulane’s Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Invitational
10/18/2018 5:13:00 PM | Women's Bowling
Ladyjacks open up season with 14-team tournament featuring seven nationally-ranked programs
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The 2016 NCAA national champion Stephen F. Austin bowling team officially begins its 2018-19 campaign this weekend with the Ladyjacks' inaugural tournament of the season at Tulane University's Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Invitational Friday-Sunday, Oct. 19-21. SFA enters its 10th season of bowling ranked as the sixth-best team in the country according to the National Tenpin Coaches Association's (NTCA) preseason poll.
A total of seven nationally-ranked bowling programs will converge at the Colonial Lanes in Harahan, Louisiana, for the 14-team tournament as the sixth annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Invitational features fourth-ranked Sam Houston State, No. 10 Tulane, 11th-ranked North Carolina A&T, No. 16 UAB, 17th-ranked Louisiana Tech and No. 25 Texas Southern, in addition to the sixth-ranked Ladyjacks. The event's field also includes three teams receiving votes in the preseason national poll with Valparaiso, Jackson State and Alabama State joining Southern University, Florida A&M, Alabama A&M and Grambling State. SFA is one of five Southland Bowling League members competing just outside of New Orleans as the Ladyjacks join the Bearkats, Green Wave, Lady Techsters and Crusaders to represent the league.
The three-day tournament will get underway Friday, Oct. 19 at 9:55 a.m. CST with five, five-game Baker matches, followed by five traditional team matches Saturday, Oct. 20 starting at 8:55 a.m. On Sunday, Oct. 21, the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Invitational will conclude with three best 4-of-7 bracket play Baker matches beginning at 8:30 a.m. Seeding for Sunday's bracket play will be determined by teams' pinfall total from Friday and Saturday's Baker and team matches.
This weekend marks the seventh year Tulane has hosted the tournament and sixth year of partnership with the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Admission to the tournament is free.
The Ladyjacks placed third at the 2017 version of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Invitational after defeating tournament host Louisiana Tech in the third-place match. Two years ago, SFA took home runner-up honors at the tournament after reaching the title match. The Ladyjacks have competed at the event every of its existence since 2012.
Led by head coach Amber Lemke in her eighth season at the helm, SFA is in position for another strong season as a national title contender. Ending 2017-18 ranked No. 6 in the nation, the Ladyjacks made a run at the 2018 Southland Bowling League Championship and reached the title match as the No. 4 seed. SFA went on to finish among the final six teams at the 2018 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships after claiming six top-five finishes during the regular season. Since February of 2013, the Ladyjacks have finished outside the top 10 at any given tournament just once and have posted top-10 placements in 52 of their last 53 NCAA sanctioned events.
SFA brings back six letter winners from last season and returns eight total bowlers, while welcoming freshman Carlene Beyer from Ogdensburg, Wisconsin, (Little Wolf HS) as its lone newcomer. The Ladyjacks will rely on its seniors, Paige Beeney and Dakotah Hazlewood, for leadership throughout their 2018-19 season with returning Southland Bowling League All-Tournament Team member Dakota Faichnie primed for her sophomore year.
Up Next…
Continuing its fall slate of tournaments, SFA will make a shorter trek down to Houston for Sam Houston State's Track Kat Klash next weekend, Friday-Sunday, Nov. 2-4. The Ladyjacks will then wrap up their fall tournament schedule the following weekend, Friday-Sunday, Nov. 9-11, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at Wisconsin-Whitewater's Warhawk Classic.
The Schedule
Bowling in five different states to open up the 2018-19 season, SFA will begin its championship season this winter with Arkansas State's Mid-Winter Invitational held Friday-Sunday, Jan. 11-13 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The following weekend, Jan. 18-20, the Ladyjacks will head to Limerick, Pennsylvania, for the Kutztown Invite before taking on the Prairie View A&M Invitational (Feb. 1-3) in Arlington, Texas. SFA will co-host the Sunshine State Winter Classic (Feb. 8-10) with Sacred Heart University in Orlando, Florida, before hosting its annual SFA "Stormin" Ladyjack Invitational (Feb. 15-17) in Houston. After competing in the USBC Sectionals (March 9-10), the Ladyjacks will head to Smyrna, Tennessee, for the Columbia 300 Music City Classic (March 15-17). The 2019 Southland Bowling League Championship will be held March 22-24 in Dallas, while the 2019 NCAA Championship tournament is scheduled for April 11-13 in Cleveland, Ohio. SFA will complete its 2018-19 season at the 2019 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships to be held April 18-20 in Dayton, Ohio.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack bowling throughout the fall.
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