Statesmen Reach Consolation Finals at League Tourney

Columbia, Mo.–The William Penn men’s bowling team just missed out on a chance to compete for both a league title and national tournament berth as it placed third at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship Saturday and Sunday, presented by 516 Sports Capital.

In the second year of the tournament’s unique format, each head-to-head matchup was a best-of-three series. The first round was determined by the highest total pinfall across five individual games, while the second round featured a total pinfall from four Baker games. If necessary, the third round was decided by a best-of-five Baker series.

The navy and gold opened as the No. 3 seed in the eight-team bracket and advanced in the championship bracket with a 2-0 victory over No. 6 seed Clarke.

WPU then dropped its first bout with a 2-0 loss to No. 2 Baker, but rallied in the consolation bracket, beginning with a 2-0 defeat of No. 5 Culver-Stockton. The Statesmen then moved another step closer to a crown by taking down No. 4 Missouri Baptist 2-1.

Unfortunately, the squad’s run ended in the consolation finals by falling once again to Baker, this time in a 2-1 decision. Top-seeded Mount Mercy ended up defeating BU in the finals to claim the title and the Heart’s automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship in March.

“Overall, it was a solid weekend for the team,” Head Coach Kirstin Foster said. “Both of the losses were very close matches. The guys bowled extremely well in the Baker portion all weekend, which is a good thing to see with Sectionals next on the schedule.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Smyrna, Tenn. on March 7-9 to compete in the USBC Sectionals. Friday, March 7 will be the Singles event, while Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9 will be Team competition.