Friday, February 2
Arlington, Texas
Stephen F. Austin
at
Prairie View A&M Invitational
Ladyjacks Finish Fifth at Highly Competitive Prairie View A&M Invitational
2/4/2018 4:25:00 PM | Women's Bowling
SFA bowling goes 2-1 Sunday, including 2-0 in bracket play, to capture fifth place in Arlington; finish tournament with 13,425 total pins
ARLINGTON, Texas – Wrapping up play at the ultra-competitive Prairie View A&M Invitational Sunday in Arlington, Texas, the Stephen F. Austin bowling team went a perfect 2-0 in bracket play to take home fifth place among 12 of the top-25 teams in the nation. The seventh-ranked Ladyjacks, who were competing at the Bowling International Training & Research Center as one of eight teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, completed the three-day tournament with a 6-7 overall record and a pinfall total of 13,425.
SFA claimed a pair of Baker match victories in Sunday's two bracket play contests, upending top-ranked Nebraska and avenging their lone loss of the day against No. 12 Sacred Heart University. The fifth-place finish makes it 50-straight tournaments the Ladyjacks have placed in the top 10 dating back to February 2013. It is SFA's fourth top-five finish this season and first of 2018.
A day after eye-popping individual game performances by seniors Stephanie Schwartz (Racine, Wis.) and Morgan Reising (Lewisville, Texas), the Ladyjacks had just one final traditional team match to bowl Sunday morning before heading into bracket competition. Taking on 12th-ranked Sacred Heart, SFA was edged by a tally of 1,045-1,021 despite getting games of over 200 from juniors Dakotah Hazlewood (Capron, Ill.) and Paige Beeney (Salado, Texas), and Schwartz. Hazlewood bowled a 225, while Schwartz claimed a 213 and Beeney chipped in a 210.
Heading into bracket play as the No. 7 seed, the Ladyjacks paired up with No. 6 seed Nebraska in the opening round. After winning the first game in narrow fashion (224-222), SFA dropped the next two before closing out the match with three consecutive game wins. The Ladyjacks bowled games of 234, 258 and 238 in the final three games to secure the 4-2 victory over the nation's top team.
Advancing to the fifth-place match, SFA found itself with a redemption opportunity against Sacred Heart. This time around the Ladyjacks showed their strength in a convincing 4-1 win over the Pioneers. Winning the first game of the match 208-195, SFA was passed by just one pin (183-182) in game two before outdoing Sacred Heart in the following three games.
Defending national champion and second-ranked McKendree University won the Prairie View A&M Invitational by topping third-ranked and fellow Southland Bowling League member Arkansas State 4-2. Fifth-ranked Sam Houston State took home third with a 4-3 win over fourth-ranked Vanderbilt.
Schwartz finished the event 13th among 70 total bowlers in the individual standings with a 214.67 per game average in six matches and owned the tournament's high game with her 290 recorded Saturday against Prairie View A&M. Freshman Sarah Gill (Attleboro, Mass.) was 30th with a 200.5 game average and a pinfall total of 1,203, while Beeney averaged a 196.83 and totaled 1,181 pins to place 35th.
Sacred Heart's Amanda Nardiello took home the individual crown with 1,416 pins and a 236 game average, while Arkansas State's Jordan Richard placed second with a count of 1,378 (229.67) and Vanderbilt's Maria Bulanova third after claiming 1,358 pins (226.33).
The Ladyjacks will now have two weeks to prepare for their own Stormin' Ladyjack Classic, which will take place Friday-Sunday, Feb. 16-18, at the Copperfield Bowl in Houston, Texas. It will be the fourth-straight year SFA has hosted the event.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack bowling throughout the spring.
Prairie View A&M Invitational – Day Three Results
Traditional Team Match + Two Baker Matches (bracket play)
Match One | No. 12 Sacred Heart 1,045 – No. 7 SFA 1,021
Megan Eaglehouse 175, Paige Beeney 210, Dakotah Hazlewood 225, Sarah Gill 198, Stephanie Schwartz 213
Match Two | No. 7 SFA 4 – No. 1 Nebraska 2
W, 224-222; L, 261-189; L, 224-213; W, 234-214; W, 258-219; W, 238-232
Match Three | No. 7 SFA 4 – No. 12 Sacred Heart 1
W, 208-195; L, 183-182; W, 202-179; W, 190-186; W, 208-200
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Bowling
/ Women's Bowling
/ Women's Bowling
/ Women's Bowling
/ Women's Bowling
/ Women's Bowling
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