Bowling Teams Compete Well at NAIA Invitational
William Penn University Athletics
NAIA Runner-Up Finish for Penn Men
Indianapolis, Ind.–Members of the Statesmen bowling team nearly concluded their 2010-2011 season by hoisting a championship trophy, but the dream was just out of reach as Penn took home runner-up honors at the NAIA Invitational this weekend.
The Statesmen bowled strong throughout, proving once again they are one of the best teams in the nation. Penn opened the event by placing fourth in the Baker standings with 4,746 pins (24 games). Robert Morris (Ill.) claimed the top seed for the bracket tournament with 5,056 pins.
As the #4 seed, the squad earned an opening-round bye and then faced fellow Midwest Collegiate Conference foe Grand View. Penn turned the 20th-seeded Vikings away three games to two and then also knocked off #5 Midland (Neb.) 3-2 to advance to the championship semifinals of the double-elimination tournament.
Unfortunately, Penn’s road became much more difficult, falling to another MCC rival, #9 Viterbo, 3-2.
Coming out of the consolation side, the Statesmen dropped #10 St. Catherine (Ky.) 3-2 and then upset #2 Lindenwood (Mo.) 3-1 to set up a rematch against Viterbo in the consolation finals. Penn bettered the V-Hawks the second time around, winning 3-1 to reach the championship against Davenport (Mich.).
The program needed to win two best-of-five sets for the title, but Davenport, whose Cinderella ride came as the #15 seed, would unfortunately not budge and took down Penn 3-1. Penn lost the first two games, 176-183 and 190-205, but pushed it one more game with a 213-179 win in game three. The Panthers took the final game easily, however, 214-168.
Seven team members competed in the tournament, including Drew Balta (Fr., Walford, Cedar Rapids Prairie HS), Kyle Clark (Fr., Oswego, Ill., Yorkville HS), Cameron Foster (Fr., West Jordan, Utah, West Jordan HS), James Miller (Sr., Oswego, Ill., Vincennes), Sean Rangel (So., Omaha, Neb., Bellevue East HS), Piet Schaeffer (Fr., Livingston, Scotland, The James Young HS), and Andrew Zaug (So., Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS).
The NAIA does not yet sponsor bowling as an intercollegiate sport. If 50 or more NAIA member institutions designate bowling as a varsity sport, then bowling will be eligible for championship sport status and an NAIA national championship.
Next: Although its season is done as a team, Penn will be represented by Miller one final time as he competes in the 24-man USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships on May-23-24 in Euless, Texas.
Lady Statesmen End Season at NAIA Invitational
Indianapolis, Ind.–The Penn women’s bowling team concluded a successful 2010-2011 campaign by placing well at the NAIA Invitational this weekend.
The Lady Statesmen were in the middle of the pack after 24 Baker games, standing in tenth place out of 22 teams with 4,260 pins. Webber International (Fla.) claimed the top seed for the bracket tournament with 4,750 pins.
As the #10 seed, Penn opened against #7 seed Marian (Ind.) and advanced three games to two. The squad was swiftly dropped to the consolation bracket after that, however, as #2 Robert Morris (Ill.) blanked the Lady Statesmen 3-0.
Penn stayed alive with a 3-2 win over #18 Campbellsville (Ky.) before closing out its tournament with a 3-2 loss to Midwest Collegiate Conference foe St. Ambrose. The Queen Bees, who were the #13 seed, went on an incredible run to reach the finals, eventually losing to #4 McKendree (Ill.) 3-1.
The Lady Statesmen led two games to none against SAU, but could not close the deal in finishing its year.
Seven team members competed in the tournament, including Leah Early (So., Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids Jefferson HS), Amanda Edenholm (So., Marysville, Wash., Marysville-Pilchuck HS), Amanda Kilts (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids Jefferson HS), Kirstin Newberry (Fr., Holland, Mich., West Ottawa HS), Samantha Powell (So., Herriman, Utah, Bingham HS), Breanne Underwood (Sr., Treynor, Treynor HS), and Abigayle Wempen (So., Titonka, North Iowa HS).
The NAIA does not yet sponsor bowling as an intercollegiate sport. If 50 or more NAIA member institutions designate bowling as a varsity sport, then bowling will be eligible for championship sport status and an NAIA national championship.
