(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 24)—The McKendree University women's bowling team registered an eighth-place finish over the weekend at the Track Kat Clash, which was hosted by Sam Houston State University in Houston, Texas. The three-day tournament was held Friday through Sunday at Palace Lanes.
The Bearcats posted a match record of 10-5 in head-to-head competition for the weekend. McKendree was in seventh place in the 18-team field heading into Sunday's bracket play and took one of three matches in the bracket to close the weekend in eighth place. The University of Nebraska won the tournament with a 14-1 record, followed by Arkansas State University at 12-3.
For the weekend, McKendree put up 5,863 pins in Baker-format competition and 5,520 pins in traditional play. Combined with the 3,047 pins amassed in bracket play, the Bearcats collected 14,430 pins for the weekend to average 189.9 over 76 total games.
In Sunday's bracket competition, McKendree was matched up against eighth-seeded Delaware State University for its first contest. Bowling in a best-of-seven Baker match, the Bearcats held a 2-1 lead in the match before Delaware State rallied to take the final three games and the contest. Up next for McKendree was the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The Bearcats rolled to a four-game sweep of the Blazers to advance to their final match of the weekend versus host Sam Houston State. McKendree found itself in a 3-0 hole early before winning games four and five to pull within 3-2. However, Sam Houston State took a 206-180 decision in the sixth game to finish off a 4-2 win.
Senior
Jodi Gawlik (Schaumburg, IL/Schaumburg) posted a top-10 finish in the final individual standings for McKendree. Gawlik knocked down 1,209 pins to average 201.5 over a six-game block. Freshman
Tara Quinlan (Streamwood, IL/Trinity) also grabbed a top-50 slot as she placed 45
th with 1,042 pins and a 173.67 average for her six games.
McKendree will serve as the host of the National Collegiate Team Match Games on Friday and Saturday. The two-day tournament will be contested at Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville, Ill.
