ARLINGTON, Texas – McKendree University women's bowling will make its seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Women's Bowling Championships in Las Vegas, Nev., following its win over Sam Houston State University in the Arlington Regional this past weekend. The Bearcats will look to win their second-straight NCAA title and third in program history.
The two-day regional tournament featured four teams in a traditional match, Baker match, and an if-necessary best-of-seven match format.
The Bearcats earned the top seed in the tournament after holding a No. 1 ranking for the entirety of the regular season. In the first match, McKendree faced No. 4-seeded Prairie View A&M, defeating the Panthers in two matches with a 1,071-880 score in traditional play and 1,049-979 score in Baker. On the other side of the bracket, No. 3-seeded Louisiana Tech upset No. 2-seeded Sam Houston State to advance to the semifinals against McKendree.
McKendree prevailed over Louisiana Tech with a traditional score of 1,060-859 and a Baker score of 966-962 to secure a spot in the championship match. Sam Houston State climbed out of the losing bracket with a win over Louisiana Tech for a chance at the regional title against McKendree.
The Bearcats dominated in the championship game, posting a 1,092-895 win in the traditional match and 1,115-1,038 victory in the Baker match to become the Arlington Regional Champions.
Three Bearcats were the top bowlers in the tournament, including junior Isabel Allen topping the charts with an average of 236.0 pins, followed by graduate student Hope Gramly with a 233.0-pin average, and senior Kayla Smith with an average of 227.3 pins.
With the win, McKendree secured its place in the NCAA Final Four held in Las Vegas, Nev., starting on Thursday, April 13 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. McKendree will face Nebraska in the first round of the tournament.