(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 21)—The McKendree University men's and women's bowling programs will be traveling to Dallas, Texas, in early March to participate in the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championship (ITC) sectional qualifiers.
 
The Bearcat programs will compete against some of the top programs from across the country in search of a berth into the 2019 ITC National Championships that will be held April 17-20 at Poelking Lanes South in Dayton, Ohio. The USBC Dallas Sectional will take place March 9-10 at USA Bowl.
 
On the men's side, the sectional qualifier will serve as the first stepping stone for McKendree's defense of its 2018 national championship. The Bearcats claimed their second ITC national title in three years by defeating Lindenwood University last April at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, Neb. McKendree posted a 3-1 victory in a best-of-five Baker match over the Lions to collect the national championship. The Bearcats have reached the ITC national tournament seven of the previous eight years. A total of 20 men's programs will take part in the USBC Dallas Sectional.
 
The McKendree women will be looking to qualify for the ITC Team Championship field for the 15^th consecutive year. The Bearcats, who won the ITC national title in 2017, earned a runner-up finish in last spring's event. Prior to that, McKendree registered a third-place finish in the 2016 ITC Team Championships. McKendree will compete against 12 other women's programs at the USBC Dallas Sectional.
 
Each team in sectional qualifying will bowl 32 Baker games each day for a total of 64 Baker contests. The top four men's and women's teams in each sectional qualifier will advance to the ITC Team Championships.
 
In addition to the team event, qualifying will be held on March 8 for the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships.