Thursday, April 18
Dayton, Ohio
All Day
Stephen F. Austin
vs
USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships
Photo by: Shane Hesson
Bowling Closes Out Historic Season Friday in Ohio
4/20/2019 1:22:00 AM | Women's Bowling
Ladyjacks finish fifth at 2019 ITC, return to Texas’ oldest town after two weeks of national championship play in the Buckeye State
DAYTON, Ohio – The SFA bowling team is set to return to Texas' oldest town with its most recent hardware, the 2019 NCAA Women's Bowling Championship trophy, after closing out its historic 2018-19 campaign Friday in Dayton, Ohio, at the United States Bowling Congress' (USBC) 2019 Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC). Entering the day as one of only four remaining unbeaten teams among the national championship's 16-team tournament field inside Poelking Lanes South, the Ladyjacks finished the 2019 ITC fifth.
After earning the No. 4 seed following 24 games of qualifying Thursday morning and early afternoon, SFA reached the third round of double-elimination best 4-of-7 Baker match play. However, Friday afternoon the Ladyjacks ran into strong McKendree University squad seeking to avenge its NCAA Championship second-round loss to the Ladyjacks last week.
Top-seeded McKendree jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Baker match by bowling a 228 in game one, before taking game two by a tally of 175-159. SFA began its attempt at a comeback by grabbing a 173-153 game three win to make it a 2-1 match. However, back-to-back games of 224 by McKendree was enough to send the Ladyjacks to the elimination bracket as SFA was only able to roll games of 213.
Continuing the Ladyjacks' quest for a second national title in a span of eight days, SFA took on 16th-seeded Delaware State in the ITC's elimination bracket final. The Ladyjacks took a 1-0 lead following a 203-197 opening game win but four consecutive setbacks gave Delaware State a 4-1 match win and wrapped up SFA's season.
The ITC brings together the top 16 women's and top 16 men's teams in the country to compete for national titles and outside of the NCAA Bowling Championship, the ITC is the pinnacle event of the collegiate bowling season.
The Ladyjacks qualified for the 16-team championship field back in March at the ITC Smyrna sectional in Smyrna, Tennessee, securing their eighth-straight appearance at the USBC's collegiate national championship tournament after earning runner-up honors among 16 total teams. SFA came a mere five pins from taking home the sectional title by tallying a pinfall total of 12,497 in 64 Baker games across two days.
For the first time in program history the Ladyjacks won three tournaments in a single season, taking home titles at the Kutztown Invitational and the Sunshine State Winter Classic before winning their second national championship in the last four years.
SFA will now head back to Nacogdoches where a national championship celebration will be held for the bowling team Tuesday, April 23 from 2:30-4 p.m. on the Dr. Baker Pattillo Student Center Plaza. Fans and supporters of the Ladyjacks will be able to meet and greet SFA's bowlers and coaches, while a formal program will be held with head coach Amber Lemke, interim university president Dr. Steve Westbrook and student-athletes addressing the crowd. The Ladyjacks' 2019 NCAA Bowling Championship trophy will also be on display and available to take photos with.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack bowling throughout the spring.
2019 ITC Third Round vs. No. 1 McKendree | L, 4-1
Best 4-of-7 Baker Match
L, 228-143; L, 175-159; W, 173-153; L, 224-213; L, 224-213
2019 ITC Elimination Bracket Final vs. No. 16 Delaware State | L, 4-1
Best 4-of-7 Baker Match
W, 203-197; L, 186-174; L, 187-146; L, 168-135; L, 194-158
-SFA-
9.29.23 | Axe 'Em Insider Ep. 16 x Bowling
Friday, September 29
