Eight champions recognized at 52nd Annual Hoosier Classic

INDIANAPOLIS - The 52nd Annual Hoosier Classic may have looked a little different compared to previous versions of the storied event, but the tournament's traditions continued strong this weekend as eight champions in two divisions earned spots in event's record book.

The 2021 event branched out to two centers - Expo Bowl for the men's field and Western Bowl for the women's teams - and included four events on a challenging variety of lane conditions for each division.

The first and third tournament in each division featured five traditional games, with total pinfall determining the champions. The second and fourth events included 25 Baker games, with total pinfall deciding the winners.

Programs had the option to compete in multiple events during the weekend.

The victorious teams included: 

  • Tournament No. 1: St. Ambrose (men and women)
  • Tournament No. 2: Calumet (men) and Lindenwood (women)
  • Tournament No. 3: Emmanuel (men) and Lincoln Memorial (women)
  • Tournament No. 4: Webber International (men) and St. Francis-Illinois (women)

BowlTV.com provided multiple channels of live coverage from each center.

The recap for each event can be found below:

Tournament No. 1
Team Results: Men | Women
Individual Results: Men | Women

St. Ambrose swept the top spots in Saturday's opening event, winning both the women's and men's titles.

In the women's division, the Fighting Bees posted a wire-to-wire victory on the 42-foot oil pattern, firing 1,033 to start the five-game traditional block and adding 1,061 in Game 3 to pull away from the rest of the 16-team varsity field. St. Ambrose captured the win with a final score of 4,968.

Webber International finished second with 4,631, and Huntington was third with 4,567.

Webber International's Taishaye Naranjo averaged more than 221 to earn the top individual spot in the first event, rolling to a 1,108 total. St. Ambrose's Hannah Jaros (1,069) and Addy Nelson (1,055) finished second and third, respectively, while Kentucky Wesleyan's Alyssa Zombirt (1,053) and Huntington's Jessica Fraser (1,005) also earned spots on the all-tournament team.

On the men's side, St. Ambrose put together a huge 1,203 effort to start its block, powered by Nate Stubler's 299 game. The Fighting Bees dropped out of the top spot after Game 3 on Saturday morning's 39-foot condition but bounced back with 1,104 and 1,046 in their final two games to collect the win with a 5,415 total.

Marian-Indiana was second in the 18-team varsity field with 5,303, and Webber International finished third with 5,226.

Jeffery Mann of Marian-Indiana averaged more than 235 to lead all players in the men's division with a 1,177 total. Stubler finished second with 1,150 and was joined on the all-tournament team by Notre Dame-Ohio's Anthony Evans (1,130), Marian-Indiana's Nicholas Graveel (1,108) and Saint Xavier's Alex Acosta (1,104).

Tournament No. 2
Team Results: Men | Women

The Calumet men and Lindenwood women recorded victories Saturday evening during the first Baker event of the weekend.

In the men's division, Calumet battled with Ottawa-Kansas throughout the 25-game Baker block. The Crimson Wave held a 30-pin advantage heading into the final five games on the 44-foot lane condition, but a slow start on their final pair gave Ottawa-Kansas the lead heading into the final two games.

Calumet fired 238 and 247 to recapture the top spot and win with a 5,333 total. Ottawa-Kansas finished with 5,281, and St. Francis-Illinois was third in the 34-team varsity field with 5,249.

Lindenwood's path to victory in the women's division was much different. The Lions were in eighth place after 10 games but quickly ascended to the top of the leaderboard by Game 15.

Lindenwood extended its lead through the end of the block, taking home the victory with a 4,674 total on the 50-foot oil pattern.

The women's varsity division featured 31 teams, with St. Francis-Illinois finishing second with 4,537 and Ottawa-Kansas taking third with 4,503.

Tournament No. 3
Team Results: Men | Women
Individual Results: Men | Women

Both Lincoln Memorial and Emmanuel rallied in the final game Sunday at the 2021 Hoosier Classic to capture the third title in their respective divisions.

In the women's division, Lincoln Memorial entered the final game in third place and in the middle of a five-team pack within striking distance of the lead. The Railsplitters were 17 pins behind tournament-leader William Penn and cruised into the top spot, posting 1,000 in Game 5 to secure the win on the 39-foot lane condition with a 4,763 total.

Lindenwood moved from fifth to second in the final game, finishing with 4,668, and Webber International placed third in the 31-team varsity field with 4,637.

In the women's individual standings, Martin Methodist's Lindsay Brown claimed the top spot with a five-game total of 1,042, a 208.4 average. Brown was joined on the all-tournament team by Lindenwood's Brittany Schwartz (1,019), Rebekah Loker of Ottawa-Kansas (1,011), Lincoln's Marissa Sifuentez-Lewis (1,001) and Lincoln Memorial's Jada Bassette (999).

Emmanuel was fourth in the men's standings and 79 pins back of the lead prior to the final game Sunday. The Lions rolled the highest team score of the block (1,109) on the 37-foot oil pattern to jump up three spots and to the top of the leaderboard with a 4,997 total.

Calumet finished second in the 33-team varsity field with 4,979, and Webber International took third with 4,930.

St. Ambrose's Nate Stubler earned his second spot on all-tournament team this weekend after finishing Sunday's block with 264 and 247 to lead the men's individual standings with a 1,111 total, a 222.2 average.

Emmanuel's Ryan Lopano (1,087), Jacob Hubbs of St. Francis-Illinois (1,066), Marian-Indiana's Jordan Shepherd (1,061) and Notre Dame-Ohio's Dean Vargo (1,046) also were part of the all-tournament team.

Tournament No. 4
Team Results: Men | Women 

Sunday's final event ended with a big win by the Webber International men and the most dramatic finish of the weekend by the St. Francis-Illinois women.

On the men's side, Webber International grabbed the early lead after the first Baker set and never looked back, cruising to victory on the 41-foot lane condition with a 5,151 total.

St. Francis-Illinois took second with 5,033, and Saint Xavier was third with 4,855. Nine varsity men's teams competed in the final Baker event of the weekend.

The women's finale was determined in the final frame of competition between St. Francis-Illinois and Saint Xavier.

Competing on the same pair during the last Baker set, St. Francis-Illinois entered the final game up 22 pins and held onto a seven-pin advantage going into the 10th frame, after both teams opened in the ninth.

Saint Xavier had the opportunity to seize the victory after starting its 10th frame with a strike and a 2 pin on the first delivery from St. Francis-Illinois. Saint Xavier's second shot did not strike, leaving the 1-3-6-10 combination, giving St. Francis-Illinois' Serenity Quintero the opportunity to convert the spare and get three or more pins on her fill ball to lock up the win.

Quintero converted the spare and knocked over eight pins on her final shot, giving the Fighting Saints a six-pin victory with a 4,469 total on the 37-foot oil pattern.

Saint Xavier was the runner-up with 4,463, and Webber International was third with 4,440. Eight teams competed in the varsity division.

The 2020-2021 United States Bowling Congress Collegiate season was postponed until January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The regular season will run until March 28, with the Intercollegiate Team and Singles Championships scheduled to take place May 2-8.

For more information on USBC Collegiate, visit BOWL.com/Collegiate or CollegeBowling.Bowl.com.