HOUSTON, Texas – The No. 1 ranked McKendree University women's bowling team finished in second place out of 20 teams with an 11-2 and a total pinfall of 13,585 after three days of action at the Track Kat Klash held here at the Emerald Bowl and hosted by No. 5 ranked Sam Houston State.
 
McKendree has now had two Top 3 finishes in its two events of the 2022-23 season as the Bearcats went 11-1 and finished third at the season opening Bearcat Roto Grip Open and then was 11-2 and finished second at the Track Kat Klash. The Bearcats are 22-3 on the season.
 
In Sunday's championship bracket play, the Bearcats opened with a 4-2 win over No. 7 North Carolina A&T to earn a spot in the championship match. The Bearcats opened with a 225-170 win in the first game, before A&T tied the match after winning the second game, 221-203. McKendree won the third game (221-203), but once again A&T won the fourth game (257-254) to tie the match at 2-all. The Bearcats would win the next two games to seal the match as they won the fifth game (235-177) and sixth game (232-223).
 
The Bearcats would face Upper Iowa in a second-round match after having already qualified for the championship match. Against UIU, McKendree won all four games (192-160, 198-171, 195-181, 180-169) to improve to 11-1 in the event.
 
In the championship match, the Bearcats got a rematch with North Carolina A&T, but unlike the earlier match on Sunday, the Bearcats would get swept by the Aggies as A&T won the first game by a one-pin margin (226-225), before winning the second game (225-214), the third game (276-223) and then collecting a 269-245 win in the fourth and final game.
 
At the event, McKendree opened with a 4-1 record in Friday's five Baker matches, before going 5-0 in Saturday's five traditional games. At the event, McKendree averaged 212.3 in 64 total games as they amassed a total pinfall of 13,585.
 
No. 12 Delaware State finished in third place following a 4-2 win over tournament host, Sam Houston State, while No. 15 Maryville captured fifth place following a third round 4-2 win over No. 14 Maryland Eastern Shore. No. 3 Nebraska, who posted an 8-5 record at the event, finished in seventh place following a 4-1 win over No. 8 Louisiana Tech.
 
Along with finishing in second place as a team, the defending NCAA National Champion Bearcats had two players named to the five-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 1,127 pins and averaged 225.40 per game in her five traditional games, while senior Rebecca Hagerman (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) was fifth overall with a total pinfall of 1,082 and she averaged 216.40 per game.
 
In addition to Gramly and Hagerman, two other Bearcats are in the Top 20 of the individual leaderboard as senior Maranda Pattison (Redwood Valley, Calif./Ukiah Independent) sits 18th with a total pinfall of 1,033 and an average of 206.60. Pattison had four games of 200 or better, including a high game of 233 against Alabama State, while fifth-year senior Angelique Dalesandro (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Vanderbilt) record a pinfall of 1,031 to sit in 19th place. Dalesandro averaged 206.20 per game and had three games of 200 or better, including a high game of 245 against Southern (La.).

A fifth Bearcat – junior Isabel Allen (Tamworth, England/Polesworth High) sits in 22nd with a pinfall total of 1,015 as she averaged 203.00 per game and had three games of 200 or better, including a high of 223 pins against Nebraska.

The Bearcats will return to action next weekend (Nov. 11-13) as they compete at the MOTIV Ladyjack Classic hosted by No. 2 ranked Stephen F. Austin and held at Sheridan Lanes in Kenosha, Wis.
 
Track Kat Klash Final Standings: 
No. 7 North Carolina A&T – 11-2  
No. 1 McKendree – 11-2 
No. 12 Delaware State – 10-3  
No. 5 Sam Houston – 8-5
No. 15 Maryville – 9-4    
No. 14 University of Maryland Eastern Shore – 8-5   
No. 3 Nebraska – 8-5
No. 8 Louisiana Tech – 5-8 
No. 21 Central Missouri – 8-5
No. 17 Tulane – 6-7
Southern University – 5-8  
No. 24 Lincoln Memorial – 7-6 
No. 23 Monmouth – 7-6
No. 20 Lewis – 6-7
Texas Southern – 4-9
University of Alabama Birmingham – 5-8    
Prairie View A&M University – 4-9
Alabama State University – 3-10   
Upper Iowa – 2-11
Alabama A&M – 2-11