Statesmen Place Sixth at NAIA Nationals

Sterling Heights, Mich.–A strong run at nationals fell just short of advancing to the final day of competition, as the William Penn men’s bowling team finished sixth among the 12 teams competing.

After starting off strong in Baker play, but had a very tough field ahead of them. They finished the first round in eighth in the field, and struggled to advance up the rankings. They fell into tenth in the third round of Baker matches, and remained as the #10 seed heading into match play.

Their first matchup came against Indiana Tech. After taking games one and three, the Statesmen dropped game four to send it to a fifth and final game. WPU delivered a strong 227, but was bested by a 234 from Indiana Tech and quickly found itself in the consolation bracket.

Matched up against #7 Marian, the navy and gold took the first two games by convincing margins, winning 237-157 and following up with a 214-163 triumph. They conceded game three, but then bounced back with a fourth game victory to knock out Marian and advance to face Midland.

Midland gave the Statesmen all they could handle, taking the first two games and putting William Penn on the brink of elimination. The navy and gold roared back, however, and took the final three games of the match to stay alive, with their comeback punctuated by a 218-141 victory.

The victory set up a rematch for William Penn against Indiana Tech. Unfortunately, the Warriors got the best of the Statesmen once again, winning by a score of 3-1 as the Statesmen settled for sixth on the national stage.

What’s Next: The Statesmen have one final tournament on the season, the USBC Nationals. They have just a little under a month to prepare, as the tournament in Addison, Ill. will run from April 20-23.