Collegiate Ticker - Nov. 13, 2019

In another busy weekend in college bowling, the Tennessee Wesleyan men had to make a comeback, while the Wright State women didn’t disappoint their fans after capturing the Raider Classic in Ohio.

30 men’s varsity teams made their way to Beaver-Vu Bowl in Beavercreek, Ohio, while 23 women’s varsity teams held competition at Capri Lanes in Kettering, Ohio. The format consisted of five traditional games on Saturday, 20 Baker games on Sunday, and an eliminator-style championship.

The top four teams from each division advanced to the semifinals, where they bowled a four-game Baker match with the two highest pinfall totals advancing to the finals. The winners in each division were decided by a two-game total-pinfall match using the Baker system.

The Tennessee Wesleyan men found themselves in fourth place after Saturday’s traditional team round but used a Baker total of 3,994 on Sunday to finish third in qualifying to advance to the semifinals.

Advancing to the semifinals with Tennessee Wesleyan were No. 1 Marian (IN), No. 2 Pikeville and No. 4 Wright State. After the four-game Baker set, Tennessee Wesleyan advanced to the title match with an 800 total, while top-seed Marian continued their dominance at the event, advancing with an 844 total.

Marian led throughout the traditional team round and Baker competition, but in the end, it was the Bulldogs of Tennessee Wesleyan who snatched the title after besting Marian in the finals by 20 pins, 424-404.

Kentucky Wesleyan’s Tanner Johnson led the individual standings with a five-game total of 1,104, an average of 220.8. Pikeville’s Michael Gallitz (1,087), Northern Kentucky’s Trevor Mattingly (1,079), Marian’s Jordan Shepherd (1,074) and Pikeville’s Jonathan Lovett (1,060) rounded out the top five.

In the women’s division, tournament host Wright State was part of a three-team battle for the lead after Saturday’s round and settled into third after five traditional games. The Raiders used a 3,645 Baker total to help them into the lead and nab the top spot heading into the semifinals.

Wright State was joined in the semifinals by No. 2 Alma, No. 3 Notre Dame College and No. 4 Urbana. Notre Dame College was out of the top five but had the highest Baker total (3,755) to jump from fifth to third.

In the semifinals, it was Alma who had the highest four-game Baker semifinal total (811), while Wright State advanced with a 756. In the title match, Wright State used a 358 two-game total to claim its third tournament win of the season.

The women’s individual crown was earned by Pikeville’s Lauren Piotrowski, who outlasted Wright State’s Madison Stiffler by four pins for the title. Piotrowski averaged 211.2 across five games (1,056) to take the title. Stiffler (1,051) was followed by Bowling Green’s Britni Hosterman (989), and Alma’s Emma Davis and Northern Kentucky’s Paige Stokes tied for fourth with 983.

In other USBC Collegiate action over the weekend:

- At the Leatherneck Classic in Moline, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa, the Midland women and McKendree men earned victories as the top seeds in bracket play.

- At the Sonic Boom Invitational in Jackson, Mississippi, Louisiana Tech needed eight games to outlast tournament host Jackson State, 4.5-3.5, to capture the crown.

- At the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) #1 in Glen Burnie, Maryland, Maryland Eastern Shore dominated.

- At the Warhawk Classic in Madison, Wisconsin, Maryville swept Central Missouri in four games to take home the title.

- At the third annual Fulton-Montgomery Community College (FMCC) Baker Tournament in Johnstown, New York, Erie CC captured the title with an 89-pin victory over SUNY-Binghamton.

- At the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) 2 in Grandville, Michigan, Indiana Tech swept both the men’s and women’s titles.

- At the Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Conference (EIBC) I in Oakland, New Jersey, William Paterson took home the conference win.

- At the Northeast Conference (NEC) Meet #1 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Fairleigh Dickinson took home the title after a two-pin victory over Duquesne.

- At the inaugural Redhawks Fall Rally Open in Lockport, New York, Medaille emerged victorious.