NOTE: The Great Lakes Valley Conference contributed portions of this release. 

OFFICIAL GLVC RELEASE

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 10)—The McKendree University women's bowling team has been unanimously selected to win the inaugural Great Lakes Valley Conference championship. The GLVC released its 2019-20 pre-season poll on Thursday.
 
The Bearcats garnered six first-place votes in the poll conducted by the league's seven head coaches. The GLVC is sponsoring women's bowling as a championship sport for the first time in 2019-20. McKendree received 36 points in the voting, followed by the University of Central Missouri with 30 points The Jennies collected the other first-place vote as coaches are not allowed to vote for their own programs.
 
Maryville University (27 points) sits in third place in the pre-season rating, followed by Lewis University (19 points). Drury University (17 points), Upper Iowa University (12 points) and Lincoln University (6 points) round out the list of inaugural league members. McKendree, Maryville, Lewis and Drury are full-time members of the GLVC, while Central Missouri, Upper Iowa and Lincoln were approved for associate membership in the conference.
 
In 2018-19, McKendree posted a match record of 83-36. The Bearcats won three in-season tournaments before finishing fifth at the NCAA National Collegiate Bowling Championship held near Cleveland, Ohio. McKendree was recently picked second in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) All-Division pre-season rating while earning the top spot in the NTCA Division II/III pre-season poll.
 
McKendree is set to open its 2019-20 season by hosting the Bearcat Hammer Open Oct. 25-27 at St. Clair Bowl in Fairview Heights.