Collegiate Ticker - Oct. 20, 2021

The Wichita State men successfully defended their title, and the Sam Houston State women claimed the program's first Tier I victory last weekend at the Mid-States Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

The men's field competed at Northrock Lanes, while West Acres Bowl hosted the women's division.

It was the second Tier I event of the 2021-2022 United States Bowling Congress Collegiate season and featured 28 men's varsity teams and 26 women's varsity programs.

Qualifying featured six traditional games Saturday and 20 Baker games Sunday to determine the eight teams advancing to the bracket finals in each division. Each round of the bracket was contested in a best-of-five Baker format.

Broadcast coverage from both centers was provided by BowlTV.com.

Wichita State with men's trophy at 2021 Mid-States ChampionshipsIn the men's division, Wichita State earned the top seed for the bracket and swept No. 8 Kansas Wesleyan in the first round, 3-0. The Shockers captured the deciding game against No. 5 Newman in the semifinals to advance, 3-2, setting up the title match against No. 6 Mount Mercy.

The Mustangs earned their spot in the finals with wins over No. 3 Lindenwood (3-1) and No. 2 St. Ambrose (3-2).

Wichita State set the early pace in the title tilt, firing 297 in the opening game to take a 1-0 lead. The Shockers won the second game, but Mount Mercy extended the match with a 198-191 victory in Game 3.

In Game 4, Wichita State rolled seven consecutive strikes after back-to-back spare conversions to cruise to a 257-168 victory and capture the win, 3-1.

The Shockers led qualifying with a 10,302 total. St. Ambrose was second with 10,275, and Lindenwood was third with 10,143. Kansas Wesleyan finished eighth with 9,679.

St. Ambrose claimed the top two spots in the men's individual standings. Joshua Collins fired 267 in his final game to finish with a six-game total of 1,419, a 236.5 average. He snuck past teammate Jordan Monnens, who finished with 1,415.

Houston's John McGee (1,384), Waldorf's Zachary Bogholtz (1,371) and Mount Mercy's Kai Yamada (1,357) also earned spots on the all-tournament team.

Sam Houston State with women's trophy at 2021 Mid-States ChampionshipsIn the women's field, Sam Houston State also entered bracket competition as the top seed. The Bearkats went the distance against No. 8 Lindenwood (3-2) and No. 5 Newman (3-2) to advance to the final against No. 3 Mount Mercy.

Mount Mercy recorded wins over No. 6 Oklahoma Christian (3-0) and No. 2 Wichita State (3-2) to earn its spot in the championship round.

Sam Houston State and Mount Mercy exchanged wins on the left lane for the first three games, allowing the Bearkats to take the 2-1 advantage. In Game 4, Sam Houston State needed a double in the 10th frame for the chance to win the Mid-States Championships for a second time (2016), but anchor Bea Hernandez was denied by an 8 pin on her second delivery. She covered the spare, which resulted in a tie at 182.

The Bearkats bounced back strong in Game 5, recording a pair of doubles and a clean game for a 212-166 win and 3.5-1.5 victory.

Sam Houston State earned the top seed with a qualifying total of 9,265. Wichita State was second with 9,178, and Mount Mercy was third with 9,153. Ottawa-Kansas and Lindenwood tied for seventh place with 8,490.

In the women's individual standings, Mount Mercy's Ayra Aminuddin earned top honors for the second consecutive Tier I event this season, finishing with a 1,275 total (212.5 average). The 2020 National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association Rookie of the Year also took the top spot at the Midwest Collegiate Championships earlier in October.

Sam Houston State's Hernandez was second with 1,248 and was joined on the all-tournament team by Newman's Allison Szewczyk (1,191), St. Ambrose's Kayla Devine (1,163) and Wichita State's Olivia Komorowski (1,141).

In other collegiate action:

- At The Mount Shootout in Frederick, Maryland, the Mount St. Mary's women cruised to the top of the leaderboard and posted a 9-1 record.

- At the Motiv Penguin Classic in Struthers, Ohio, the Arkansas State women were victorious in the bracket, defeating Youngstown State in the title match, 4-3.

- At the Cornerstone University Intercollegiate Bowling Tournament in Grandville, Michigan, the Aquinas men built an early lead and never looked back on the way to the win, while the Spring Arbor women made their move in Baker competition to secure the win by 40 pins over Madonna.

- At the Columbia 300 Western Shootout in Indianapolis, the Pikeville women took advantage of a strong start to record the victory, while the Calumet men rallied from a 285-pin deficit and averaged more than 217 during Baker competition to edge McKendree by 22 pins for the win.

- At the Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Tournament No. 2 in North Brunswick, New Jersey, the William Paterson men claimed their second consecutive win, while Molloy finished at the top of the women's standings.

For the full schedule of collegiate events, results and more, visit BOWL.com/Collegiate and CollegeBowling.Bowl.com.