DAYTON, Ohio – McKendree University women's bowling will compete for the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Women's National Championships after finishing first here at this weekend's ITC Sectional Dayton Qualifier held here at Poelking Lanes South.
The Bearcats punched their ticket to the ITC National Championships, which are scheduled for April 21-23 at the Stardust Bowl in Addison, Ill., after totaling 13,023 pins in 64 games and averaged 203.5 per game at the Sectional qualifier. The Bearcats were first of 16 teams competing at the Dayton Qualifier.
In addition to McKendree, the three other teams that also qualified for the ITC National Championships from the Sectional Qualifier in Dayton were Delaware State (12,591 total pinfall), Saint Xavier University (11,842 total pinfall) and University of St. Francis (Ill.) (11,841 total pinfall), who finished second, third and fourth overall.
The Bearcats opened the two-day Sectional Qualifier by totaling 3,309 pins in the first 16 games and then totaled 3,376 in the second block of 16 games to hold a total pinfall of 6,685 after the first day of competition. In Sunday's third block of 16 games, the Bearcats recorded a total pinfall of 3,062 and then tallied a total pinfall of 3,276 in the final block of 16 games.
At the two-day event, the Bearcats were the only team to record over 3,000 pins in each of the four 16 game blocks, including a high of 3,376 in the second 16-game block on Saturday.
Along with qualifying as a team to the 2022 ITC National Championships, the Bearcats also qualified five individuals to the ITC National Championships as they will compete on April 19-20 in Addison, Ill. The Bearcat individuals that qualified competed in ISC Qualifiers in both Dayton and Smyrna, Tenn., on Friday, March 11.
At the ISC Singles Qualifier in Dayton on March 11, the Bearcats had four of the Top 5 individuals as junior
Rebecca Hagerman (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) was the top individual among 140 bowlers as she recorded 1,333 pins in six games and averaged 222.2 as she bowled 200 or more better in four of six games, including a high of 255 in the first game of qualifying.
Along with Hagerman, senior
Hope Gramly (Prosper, Texas) was the No. 2 individual as she recorded 1,318 pins and averaged 219.7 per game and bowled 200 or more better in five games, including a high of 258 in the sixth and final game of qualifying.
The No. 3 individual at the Dayton Sectional qualifier was sophomore
Keyla Covarrubias (Mexico City, Mexico/Centro Educativo Monte Sion) as she recorded a total pinfall of 1,306 pins and averaged 217.7 per game and bowled 200 or better in four games, including a high game of 252 in the fifth game of qualifying.
McKendree's fourth individual qualifier from the Dayton Sectional was fifth-year senior
Britaney Myers (Mechanicsville, NY/Stillwater), who was fifth among individuals after recording 1,262 pins and averaging 210.3 per game and bowled 200 or better in three games with a high of 265 in the sixth and final game of qualifying.
The fifth Bearcat to qualify individually for the ITC National Championships was freshman
Anna Warkel (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson), who finished sixth out of 175 bowlers in qualifying at the Smyrna Sectional after recording 1,241 pins and averaging 206.8 per game and bowled 200 or better in three games, including a high game of 277 in the second game of qualifying.
McKendree's NCAA women's bowling team, which is ranked No. 1 in the most recent NTCA Coaches Poll, returns to the lanes next weekend (March 18-20) as they compete at the Columbia 300 Music City Classic hosted by Vanderbilt University and held at the Smyrna Bowling Center in Smyrna, Tenn.
