FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – The top-ranked McKendree University women's bowling team opened their 2022-23 season here this weekend by finishing third out of 11 teams overall after three days of competition at their annual Bearcat Roto Grip Open held at St. Clair Bowl.
 
After going 10-0 in both their five Baker games and five traditional games after opening Sunday's action with a 1,013-861 win over Mercyhurst, the Bearcats were seeded first in the Sunday's championship bracket. In the first round of the championship bracket, the Bearcats fell to 24th-ranked and fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial, 4-1, before concluding the event with a 4-3 win over No. 3 ranked and No. 2 seeded Nebraska in the third-place match. For the event, McKendree posted an 11-1 overall record.
 
Lincoln Memorial captured the tournament championship with a 4-1 win over No.2 seeded Mercyhurst, who defeated Nebraska, 4-1, in their first-round bracket play match.
 
Along with finishing as in third place at their season opening event, the defending NCAA National Champion Bearcats had two players named to the six-player All-Tournament Team as three-time NTCA All-American graduate student Hope Gramly (Prosper, Texas/Prosper) was third overall on the individual standings as she recorded a total of 1,302 pins and averaged 217.00 per games in her five traditional games, while senior Kayla Smith (Salem, Ill./Salem) was fourth overall with a total of 1,285 pins and averaged 214.17 in her five traditional games.
 
In traditional play, Gramly recorded four games of 200 or better, including a high game of 246 against Tusculum, while Smith posted three games of 200 or better, including a high game of 277 against Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
The top individual in the event was Mercyhurst's Haley Youker, who recorded 1,341 pins and averaged 223.50 per game. Nebraska's Jullian Martin was second overall with 1,317 pins and an average of 219.50 per game. The other two members of the All-Tournament Team were LMU's Haley Powell, who finished fifth with a total pinfall of 1,273 (212.17 per game) and Nebraska's Kendyl Hofmeister, who was sixth with a total pinfall of 1,265 (210.83 per game).
 
McKendree opened the tournament by going 4-0 in its Baker matches and then went 6-0 in its traditional games that were contested on Saturday and Sunday. The Bearcats went 2-0 in the event against No. 3 ranked Nebraska as they defeated the Huskers, 967-873 in their final Baker game on Friday.
 
In Sunday's bracket play (best of seven Baker format), the Bearcats lost the first three games to Lincoln Memorial as the Railsplitters won the first game, 204-177 and then posted a 191-178 win in the second game and earned a 235-228 win in the third game. The Bearcats, though, rebounded to win 191-142 in the fourth game, before LMU collected a 213-197 win in the fifth game to seal the victory and advance to final match.
 
With the loss to LMU, the Bearcats fell into the third place match against the Huskers, who were the 2021 NCAA National Champions. McKendree opened the third place match with a 238-171 win in the first game, before earning a 193-184 win in the second game. NU, though, would post a 192-191 win in the third game and then tied the match following a 224-218 win in the fourth game. McKendree won the fifth game, 233-207, but NU would set up a winner-take-all seventh game after earning a 179-146 win in the sixth game. The Bearcats were dominant in the seventh game as they defeated the Huskers, 247-199.
 
Along Gramly and Smith's third and fourth finish in the individual standings, senior NTCA All-American Maranda Pattison (Redwood Valley, Calif./Ukiah Independent) placed ninth overall with a total pinfall of 1,237 and averaged 206.17 in her six traditional games to give McKendree three players in the Top 10 overall. She had four games of 200 or better, including a high game of 235 against 25th-ranked Newman.
 
The Bearcats will return to action on Nov. 4-6 as they travel to Houston, Texas, to compete in the Track Kat Klash hosted by preseason No. 5 ranked Sam Houston State at the Emerald Bowl.
 
Bearcat Roto Grip Open Final Standings after Bracket Play (Total Pinfall overall)
1st Place – No. 24 Lincoln Memorial – 9-3 (12,609)
2nd Place – Mercyhurst – 8-4 (12,609)
3rd Place – No. 1 McKendree – 11-1 (13,556)
4th Place – No. 3 Nebraska – 7-5 (13,245)
5th Place – No. 15 Maryville – 8-4 (12,717)
6th Place – No. 25 Newman – 4-8 (12,788)
7th Place – No. 21 Central Missouri – 6-6 (12,225)
8th Place – Upper Iowa – 5-7 (11,594)
9th Place – Quincy University – 4-8 (11,487)
10th Place – Kentucky Wesleyan – 2-9 (11,118)
11th Place – Tusculum – 1-10 (10,359)