Collegiate Ticker - Nov. 14, 2018

More than 130 men's and women's collegiate bowling programs ascended on the Midwest over the weekend as big fields lined up for the Leatherneck Classic and Raider Classic.

The Leatherneck Classic was split between Highland Park Bowl in Moline, Illinois, for the men's competition and Big River Bowl in Davenport, Iowa, for the women's field. A total of 43 men's teams and 37 women's teams competed in six traditional games and 16 Baker games to determine the top eight in each division for bracket play.

On the men's side, Grand View went undefeated in bracket play on the way to the win, sweeping William Penn in the title match, 2-0, with scores of 194-156 and 211-163.

Grand View qualified as the No. 5 seed and swept No. 8 Wichita State to advance to the championship match, while William Penn, the No. 7 seed, went the distance in its semifinal match against No. 3 St. Francis-Illinois, 2-1.

A pair of student-athletes from Robert Morris-Illinois led the men's individual field. Justin O'Shaughnessy was the top performer, finishing with a six-game total of 1,372, while teammate Michael Martell was second with 1,317.

Wisconsin-Whitewater's Quinn Sheehy was third with 1,303, and William Penn's Logan Mason (1,301) and Wichita State's Connor Egan (1,296) also finished in the top five.

St. Ambrose captured the women's title, defeating defending Intercollegiate Team Championships winner Lindenwood in the title tilt, 2-1. The Fighting Bees won the deciding match, 193-189.

St. Ambrose, the No. 4 seed, defeated No. 8 Grand View in its semifinal matchup, 2-1, while No. 2 Lindenwood bested No. 6 St. Francis-Illinois, 2-1.

Midland's Candice Goldfinch led the women's individual field with a 1,236 total, finishing just ahead of William Penn's Nicole Craft (1,217), Wichita State's Kaitlyn Rudy (1,216), Clarke's Jessica Howell (1,214) and St. Ambrose's Kayla Crawford (1,205).

At the Raider Classic, 24 women's varsity teams made their way to Poelking Woodman Lanes in Kettering, Ohio, and 29 men's varsity programs headed to Beaver Vu Bowl in Beavercreek, Ohio.

The format featured five traditional games and 20 Baker games to determine the four teams in each division advancing to the eliminator-style semifinals and final.

The top seed in the women's field, Pikeville, was able to build an early lead against No. 3 Bowling Green in the championship round and cruised to the title in the two-game total-pinfall final, 400-346. The Bears nearly built a 50-pin advantage after the first game, rolling 220, and added 180 in the final game to secure the victory.

In the semifinal, Pikeville (871 for four games) and Bowling Green (801) held off No. 4 Notre Dame-Ohio (765) and No. 2 Wright State (763).

In addition to the team victory, Pikeville also claimed four of the top five individual spots in the field. Mallory Liversedge posted a five-game total of 1,180 to lead all competitors, while teammates Jessica Wolfe (1,113), Angel West (1,110) and Lauren Piotrowski (1,091) all finished in the top five. Northern Kentucky's Sydney Renner finished fourth with 1,102.

The men's championship match saw No. 4 Marian get out to an early lead against No. 2 Notre Dame-Ohio, 187-162, and hold off a late charge from the Falcons to finish with the win, 365-356. Marian posted 178 in the final game, while Notre Dame-Ohio finished with 194.

Marian (853) and Notre Dame-Ohio (880) cruised in the semifinal over No. 3 Pikeville (746) and No. 1 Wright State (720).

Notre Dame-Ohio's Dan Marriott led the men's individual portion with a 1,125 total. Wright State's Nicholas Crase (1,110), Brandon Fleming (1,109) and Jacob Spangenberg (1,105) finished in second, third, and fifth, respectively, while Morehead State's Andrew Marotta grabbed fourth place in the standings with 1,108.

In other USBC Collegiate action over the weekend:

- At the Green River Classic in Danville, Kentucky, the Campbellsville women and Lindsey Wilson men rolled to the top spots.

- At the Warhawk Classic in Milwaukee, the McKendree women finished with games of 279 and 268 to defeat Arkansas State in the best-of-seven title match, 4-3.

- At the Sonic Boom Invitational, the Louisiana Tech women bounced back from a 2-1 deficit in the championship match to claim the title against Jackson State, 4-2.

- At the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association No. 1 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the Fayetteville State women led the way in total pinfall.

- At the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Jamboree No. 2 in Wayne, Michigan, the Lawrence Tech men rolled to the win, while the Indiana Tech women edged Aquinas by a single pin.

- At the Fulton-Montgomery Community College Baker Tournament in Johnstown, New York, the Corning CC women and Erie CC men rolled to big wins.

- At the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference No. 1 in Wilmington, Delaware, the Maryland Eastern Shore women toppled the most pins.

For complete results and the full schedule for the 2018-2019 season, click here.