Collegiate Ticker - Feb. 7, 2018

The Louisiana State men and Newman women rolled through bracket play to capture wins at the Southwest Intercollegiate Bowling Conference (SWIBC) Championship last weekend in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

The SWIBC Championship was held at Firelake Lanes and featured 10 men's varsity teams and six women's varsity teams. Teams in each division bowled nine traditional games of qualifying to determine the top four teams advancing to the bracket. Match play featured a best-of-five Baker format.

The LSU men earned the last spot in the bracket after qualifying, but the Tigers found their stride in Baker competition. After knocking off top-seeded Kansas Wesleyan, 3-1, LSU swept No. 2 West Texas A&M, 3-0, in the finals.

West Texas A&M defeated No. 3 Newman, 3-0, to advance to the championship match.

Kansas Wesleyan's John Bredehoeft was the only player to average more than 200 for nine games, posting a 206.67 average to claim individual honors with a 1,860 total. Newman's Jimbo Thompson was second with 1,799, while LSU's Chad Conard (1,795), Louisiana-Lafayette's Kyle Zerbe (1,791) and LSU's Austin Bertrand (1,768) rounded out the top five.

The Newman women averaged more than 207 during match play on their way to victory, including a 3-1 win in the finals against top-qualifier Baker. The Jets qualified second overall and swept No. 3 Kansas Wesleyan, 3-0, in the semifinals, while Baker bested No. 4 West Texas A&M, 3-1, to earn its spot in the title tilt.

Newman's Leanne Vastbinder helped lead the Jets to a team victory as well as pace the individual standings, posting a nine-game effort of 1,788 to earn the top spot. Baker teammates Amber Ketchum (1,730), Alanna Dierking (1,718) and Megan Carpenter (1,689) claimed the next three spots, and Newman's Haley Williams (1,630) finished fifth.

In other USBC Collegiate action over the weekend:


- At the Prairie View A&M Invitational at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas, the McKendree women defeated top-seeded Arkansas State in the title match, 4-2. Read the full recap here and watch archived coverage of the event on BowlTV.

- At the Boulevard Bowl Classic and Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) Collegiate Invitational in Schenectady, New York, the William Paterson men and Schenectady women swept the top spots.

- At the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) No. 4 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the Aquinas women made their move in Baker competition to claim the win, while the Indiana Tech men finished strong in their final Baker block to record the victory.

- At the V-Hawk Invitational in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the Judson men and St. Francis-Illinois women rolled to the top spots.

- At the McKendree Baker Challenge in Fairview Heights, Illinois, the Mount Mercy women defeated Wichita State in the title match, 2-1, while the top-seeded Wichita State men claimed the win with a 2-1 victory over Vincennes.

- At Bronco Blast V in Hastings, Nebraska, the Nebraska men swept Waldorf in the championship round, 2-0.

- At Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) No. 2 in Greenville, Pennsylvania, the Medaille women toppled the most pins.

- At the Norse Collegiate Classic in Erlanger, Kentucky, the Calumet men cruised to the top spot, while the Emmanuel women posted the top Baker score to make their move and claim the win.

- At the Eagle Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, the Emmanuel women rolled to a wire-to-wire victory, while the William Penn men made their push to the top of the standings during Baker competition.

- At Kutztown's Bowling for a Kure Tournament in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, the St. Francis-Brooklyn women snuck past Wilmington and Kutztown in total pinfall.

For complete results, visit BOWL.com/Collegiate or click here for February results. To view the Team Power Rankings, visit collegebowling.com.