bwfeb2018

February 2018 - www.bowlingworld.com 27 McKendree Wins 2018 Prairie View A&M Invitational By Matt Cannizzaro ARLINGTON, Texas - For the first time since 2013, there is a new champion at the Prairie View A&M Invitational, and it was McKendree hoisting the championship trophy Sunday at the International Training and Research Center. The Bearcats, the reigning champion at both the National Collegiate Athletic Association Bowling Championship and the Intercollegiate Team Cham- pionships, downed top-seeded Arkansas State in the title match, 4-2. In the best-of-seven portion of the event, the teams switch lanes after each game. The first four games of the championship match were claimed on the right lane, before McKendree took Game 5, and all the momentum, on the left lane. The Bearcats closed things out with a 259-204 victory. McKendree was dominant in its two matches Sun- day, averaging nearly 225 in 11 games. The group advanced to the title tilt with a 4-1 semifinal win against Vanderbilt, which included games of 254, 248 and 257 to start. Arkansas State led the event through 25 Baker games and six traditional games, then topped Sam Houston State, 4-1, to make a return to the final. The Red Wolves most recently were the runners-up in 2016, falling to Nebraska after 2-0 and 3-1. Nebraska has been the team to beat at the Prairie View A&M Invitational, claiming the title five con- secutive times from 2013-2017. Vanderbilt won the inaugural event in 2012. This time, the Huskers got off to a slow start and crept up the standings on Day 2, but the top-ranked squad fell short of making the championship bracket, qualifying seventh for the final round of competition. The Huskers settled for seventh place overall, los- ing to Stephen F. Austin in the opening round of bracket matches, before defeating Fairleigh Dickin- son, 4-0, in the final match of the weekend. In the match to decide third and fourth place Sun- day, Sam Houston topped last year's runner-up, Vanderbilt, 4-3, including an exciting 249-222 effort in the finale. The Bearkats took a quick 2-0 lead, but the Commodores were able to fight back and take the match to a deciding seventh game. All 12 teams in the field bowled five five-game Baker matches Friday, five traditional team games Saturday and one traditional game Sunday, before being seeded into three best-of-seven match-play brackets based on total pinfall from the three days of competition. The top four teams were placed in one bracket, all with a chance to win the tournament. Seeds No. 5 though No. 8 were in a second bracket, with fifth place being the best they could finish. The No. 9 through No. 12 seeds competed in the third bracket, with ninth place being the best possible finish. Along with the Prairie View A&M Invitational trophy on the line, each match the teams bowl goes toward their overall record, which helps determine the teams that qualify for the 2018 NCAA Bowling Championship will be in St. Louis from April 12-14. The 2018 edition featured 12 of the top 25, and eight of the top 10, teams in the most recent poll and a variety of exciting formats. Arkansas State led the way in the win column this weekend at the ITRC with a 10-3 mark. Sam Hous- ton State and Nebraska were next at 8-5. Individually, Sacred Heart's Amanda Nardiello set the pace on the 40-foot oil pattern with a 1,416 six- game total, a 236 average. The performance earned her most-valuable-player honors and a spot on the all-tournament team. This year's individual runner-up was Jordan Rich- ard of Arkansas State, the individual champion in 2017 and runner-up in 2016. This time, she finished with a 1,378 total. Nardiello and Richard were joined on the all- tournament team by Maria Bulanova of Vanderbilt (1,358), McKendree's Breanna Clemmer (1,342) and Jordan Newham of Vanderbilt (1,339). All rounds of the 2018 Prairie View A&M Invita- tional were broadcast live on BowlTV. Here's the lineup of teams as they appeared on the featured pairs. Sunday's final team game was not livestreamed. FRIDAY'S FIVE-GAME BAKER MATCHES (Watch archive here ) Match 1: Sacred Heart vs. Louisiana Tech; McKen- dree vs. Vanderbilt Match 2: North Carolina A&T vs. Sam Houston State; Louisiana Tech vs. Nebraska Match 3: Nebraska vs. Maryland Eastern Shore; Stephen F. Austin vs. Sam Houston State Match 4: McKendree vs. Stephen F. Austin; North Carolina A&T vs. Arkansas State Match 5: Louisiana Tech vs. Vanderbilt; Maryland Eastern Shore vs. Prairie View A&M SATURDAY'S FIVE TRADITIONAL TEAM GAMES Match 6: Sam Houston State vs. Prairie View A&M; Sacred Heart v. Fairleigh Dickinson Match 7: Stephen F. Austin vs. Nebraska; Arkansas State vs. McKendree Match 8: Maryland Eastern Shore vs. Arkansas State; Nebraska vs. North Carolina A&T Match 9: Prairie View A&M vs. Sacred Heart; Sam Hous- ton State vs. Louisiana Tech Match 10: Fairleigh Dickinson vs. McKendree; Vanderbilt vs. Stephen F. Austin SUNDAY'S BEST-OF-SEVEN BAKER BRACKET MATCHES Match 1 (5-8 bracket): Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Sacred Heart; Nebraska vs. Stephen F. Austin Match 2 (1-4 bracket): Arkansas State vs. McKendree (championship match); Vanderbilt vs. Sam Houston State (for third place) Final finishing positions for all teams (weekend record): 1, McKendree (7-6) 2, Arkansas State (10-3) 3, Sam Houston State (8-5) 4, Vanderbilt (7-6) 5, Stephen F. Austin (6-7) 6, Sacred Heart (6-7) 7, Nebraska (8-5) 8, Fairleigh Dickinson (7-6) 9, North Carolina A&T (5-8) 10, Prairie View A&M (3-10) 11, Maryland Eastern Shore (7-6) 12, Louisiana Tech (4-9) Prairie View A&M Invitational champions 2014 - Nebraska 2015 - Nebraska 2016 - Nebraska 2017 - Nebraska 2018 - McKendree San Jose State Bowl Re-Opens By Jasmine Strachan After nearly four of years of being out of commission, stu- dents will be able to bowl once again in the Student Union on the lower level this semester. “It's just a natural place for students to come at any time of the day,” said Cathy Busalacchi, Executive Director of the Student Union. “You don't have to be good at bowling it's a sport where you can have fun with your friends.” The Bowling Center originally opened when the Student Union opened in 1969. It was closed when renovations be- gan on the east and west wings in 2010. The renovation expansion for the Bowling Center began in May 2014. Initially, the renovations were going to be cosmetic with new pinsetters, a mechanical device that spots pins in a bowling alley. However, improvements to the entire Student Union increased renovations to the Bowling Center in order to keep features consistent. Busalacchi worked in the Bowling Center when she was a student at San Jose State and attests to the new improve- ments. It includes new scoreboards, set tee areas, a front counter, paint, furniture and screens. Busalacchi said it has received a “complete facelift.” SJSU‟s bowling team said it is excited for the new up- grades. During the renovations, the team practiced at 4th Street Bowl, a neighboring bowling alley. The opening of the improved bowling center on campus means they have a new home. John Ushigome, a nutritional science freshman and member of the bowling team, is happy about the new change in loca- tion. “I just think convenience for many of the players be- cause a lot of us have to drive there and its 15-minute drive from school,” Ushigome said. “Also carrying the balls is a big thing so the fact that we get to store it here is really nice.” One of the new additions is the bowling gaming system that allows players to personalize their pin set-up. A feature that teammate and political science sophomore Austin Gil- bert, is excited to have at his disposal. “You can put up whatever pins you want to shoot,” Gilbert said. “So we can just put up what spares we want to shoot, and just work on that, rather than just bowling games.” Both are eager to practice in this new space because the university and coaching staff are working towards accommo- dating their team. “We've just modernized it with technology whether it be the front counter, the scoreboards, the lights, LED screens. It's just really to make it feel like a place where students want to come,” Busalacchi said. Bowling classes, offered through the kinesiology depart- ment, will take place in the morning. Open play is available in the afternoons and evenings. “We‟re getting emails left and right on our Facebook page, „When are you going to open?‟” Busalacchi said. “As of last Tuesday, we already had 12 faculty and staff teams signed up for the league. It really impacts the entire campus com- munity.” “It'll be one more place on campus that will actually allow students to stay on campus and engage whether its from a social recreational perspective, from a team perspective,” Busalacchi said. “Now our bowling team is back here on campus. It will just increase engagement for our students and the campus community.” Article reprinted in part from Spartan Daily.