Action set to begin at 2024 Intercollegiate Singles and Team Championships in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Many of the nation’s top collegiate bowlers and teams are in Louisville, Kentucky, this week to compete in the 2024 Intercollegiate Team Championships and Intercollegiate Singles Championships.

The journey to take home the top team and individual titles of the 2023-2024 United States Bowling Congress Collegiate season begins tonight at 6 p.m. Eastern at Kingpin Lanes with the official practice session for the 24 male and 24 female qualifiers for the ISC.

The week will wrap up on Saturday with four taped televised finals, which will air on CBS Sports Network on four consecutive Tuesdays in April and May, all at 7 p.m. Eastern. 

The ISC women’s finals will air Tuesday, April 23, followed by the ISC men’s finals on April 30, the ITC women’s title match on May 7 and the ITC men’s final on May 14.

All qualifying and match-play rounds at the ISC and ITC will be streamed live on BowlTV.com.

Competition at the ISC kicks off Tuesday at 9 a.m. Eastern with a six-game qualifying block to determine seeding for the single-elimination bracket. The top eight qualifiers in both the men’s and women’s divisions will receive first-round byes with the first three rounds of match play featuring a three-game total-pinfall format to determine which player advances.

The final four players in each division after three rounds will advance to the semifinals and finals on CBS Sports Network with one-game matches determining the 2024 singles champions.

Fans in Louisville are guaranteed to see two new victors crowned this year as neither 2023 singles titlist – AJ Wolstenholme of Webber International (Men) or Paige Wagner of Wichita State (Women) – was able to advance to this year’s ISC national finals.

Once the singles finalists have been determined on Wednesday morning, attention will shift to the 50th edition of the team competition, which kicks off at noon Eastern on Wednesday with the first of two ITC practice sessions.

Wednesday’s festivities will conclude with the annual Night of Champions Banquet, which will be held at the Louisville Mariott East from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern. 

While the Night of Champions Banquet has been part of the annual ITC/ISC festivities for many years now, this year’s edition will be special as it will not only feature the traditional recognition of teams and announcement of this year’s International Bowling Media Association and National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association award winners, but it will also honor the five members of the inaugural class of the USBC Collegiate Bowling Hall of Fame. 

But while the mood will be lighthearted during Wednesday evening’s celebration, it will be back to business once ITC qualifying begins Thursday morning at 8 a.m. Eastern.

Qualifying will consist of 24 Baker games to determine seeding for the double-elimination match-play bracket. All matches leading up to the title match will be contested in a best-of-seven Baker format. 

CBS Sports Network’s coverage of the championship round will feature a best-of-five Baker final in each division.

The Wichita State men will have the opportunity to defend their ITC title from the 2023 event in Las Vegas; however, a new champion will emerge on the women’s side as 2023 champion McKendree was unable to make it back to the national finals.

Teams and individuals qualified for the ITC and ISC through four sectional qualifiers held in March. The sectionals were contested in Addison, Illinois; Allen Park, Michigan; Fort Worth, Texas; and Smyrna, Tennessee.

On the women’s side, a total of eight student-athletes advanced to the ISC from Addison, six from Allen Park and five each from Fort Worth and Smyrna. The men’s division advanced eight ISC finalists from Addison, six from Fort Worth and five each from Allen Park and Smyrna.

Teams qualifying for the ITC had to finish in the top four of their sectionals based on 64-game Baker pinfall totals.

The Muskingum men and Jacksonville State and Oklahoma Christian women all managed to accomplish that feat for the first time in 2024. As such, all three programs will be making their ITC national finals debuts this week in Louisville.

For more information on the Intercollegiate Team Championships, visit BOWL.com/ITC. To learn more about the Intercollegiate Singles Championships, visit BOWL.com/ISC.