(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 20)—The McKendree University men's bowling team rolled to another top-five finish over the weekend at the Hoosier Classic, which took place at Western Bowl in Indianapolis, Ind., Saturday and Sunday.
 
Competing in a crowded field of 78 teams, the Bearcats earned their way into Sunday's bracket play by finishing sixth in the team qualifying. McKendree registered 8,847 pins to take the No. 6 seed into the eight-team, double-elimination bracket. In the bracket quarterfinals, the Bearcats were paired with third-seeded Grand View University. The Vikings defeated McKendree to end the Bearcats' run in the tournament. Top-seeded Robert Morris University (Ill.) went on to claim top honors at the Hoosier Classic.
     
On the individual side, McKendree was buoyed by a pair of top-15 performances. Junior Bryan Hahlen (Greenwood, SC/Greenwood) (pictured) led the way by taking sixth place in the field of 591 bowlers. Hahlen knocked down 1,271 pins to average 211.8 for his six-game block. Among Hahlen's individual performance were games of 254, 246 and 246 for the weekend. Senior Collin Smith (Huron, SD/Huron) grabbed 15^th place at the Hoosier Classic with 1,251 pins for a 208.5 average. Smith had a high game of 242 in the fourth contest.
 
McKendree wrapped up its 2018-19 regular season schedule at the Hoosier Classic. The Bearcats now await word for sectional assignments for the 2019 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships, which will take place March 8-10. McKendree is the defending national champion.