Collegiate Ticker - Nov. 23, 2022

A strike-filled weekend led to some big-time excitement at St. Clair Bowl, as the Wichita State men and McKendree women collected wins at the National Collegiate Team Match Games in Fairview Heights, Illinois.

The Tier I event on the United States Bowling Congress Collegiate schedule featured 23 men’s varsity teams and 17 women’s varsity programs. Teams competed in six traditional games Saturday and 20 Baker games Sunday, with total pinfall determining the winner in each division.

On the men’s side, Wichita State set the pace Saturday while averaging over 225 for the traditional block. The Shockers posted four games above 1,130 and built a 182-pin lead over Webber International.

Webber made things interesting early in Sunday’s block, however, firing 256 and 262 in Games 2 and 3 to close the gap. Wichita State maintained the advantage heading down the stretch, until a 146 snuck up on the Shockers in Game 18. The sub-150 game from Wichita State, coupled with a 235 effort from Webber, allowed the Warriors to take a 13-pin lead heading into the final two games.

Wichita State bounced back with 230 in Game 19 to reclaim the top spot, and a 228 finish allowed the Shockers to capture their second Tier I victory of the season with a 10,915 total. Wichita State kicked off its 2022-2023 campaign with a win at the Mid-States Championships in October.

Webber finished with 10,874 to record the runner-up finish, while St. Ambrose took third with 10,707.

Wichita State’s Spencer Robarge collected his second consecutive individual win of the season, averaging more than 245 for his six games Saturday to pace the field with a 1,475 total. The 2022 National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA) Rookie of the Year rolled games of 286, 225, 248, 279, 191 and 246.

Robarge grabbed the top spot at the Leatherneck Classic on Nov. 12 with a 1,455 total, which included a 300 in his final game.

Mount Mercy’s Brandon Bohn and Webber’s Nick Larsen tied for second place with 1,415, and a 300 in Game 6 helped push McKendree’s Jorge Rodriguez-Rosas into fourth with 1,409. Kentucky Wesleyan’s Seth Koloski rounded out the top five with 1,407.

In the women’s division, Mount Mercy held the lead after the first day over McKendree by 116 pins on the strength of three games of 1,110 or higher.

McKendree quickly found its stride during Sunday’s block to make up the deficit and start to build its lead. The Bearcats averaged more than 212 over 20 Baker games to run away with the win, finishing with a 10,461 total.

The victory also served as a successful title defense for the Bearcats after capturing the home win in 2021.

Mount Mercy held on to second place with a 10,154 total, while Wichita State rolled a Baker 300 game on the way to third with 10,131.

Megan Kolberg of Mount Mercy claimed her second individual win of the season with her performance at St. Clair Bowl, finishing with a 1,368 total (228 average). She put together games of 228, 208, 226, 217, 279 and 210 to finish at the top of the standings.

Kolberg’s first win of the season came at the Five Seasons Classic in October.

McKendree’s Isabel Allen and Hope Gramly followed on the leaderboard, finishing with 1,327 and 1,305, respectively. Webber’s Jordan Mundt (1,292) and Mount Mercy’s Mackenzie Ullian (1,275) also placed on the all-tournament team.

In other collegiate action:

- At the Hawk Classic in Millsboro, Delaware, the North Carolina A&T women won a back-and-forth title tilt against Vanderbilt in thrilling fashion live on BowlTV. Needing a double for the win in Game 7, Lauren Tomaszewski of North Carolina A&T delivered three strikes in the final frame to give the Aggies a 227-220 win and 4-3 victory for the title.

- At the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) – Event 1 in Bettendorf, Iowa, the Carthage women collected seven wins in eight matches. Aurora led the way in total pinfall.

- At the Clash of the Spartans in St. Charles, Missouri, the Peru State men and Ottawa-Kansas women rolled to victory in the all-Baker format.

- At the Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Tournament (EIBT) – Event 4 in Kingston, New York, the Molloy women and William Paterson men cruised to the top of the standings.

- At the Bowling Green State Falcon Classic in Sandusky, Ohio, the Notre Dame-Ohio men and Indiana Tech women recorded wins.

- At the Oak Tree Open in Diamond Bar, California, the Grand Canyon men averaged more than 212 across seven traditional games to capture the victory by more than 400 pins.

- At the Forest Lanes Open in Lake Forest, California, the San Jose State men edged Grand Canyon by 14 pins to take home the win.

- At the Hornet Classic in Montgomery, Alabama, the Alabama State women were able to work their way through the bracket and collect the home win, defeating Tusculum in the title match.

- At the Lady Eagles Invitational in Baltimore, the Coppin State women earned the win in their home event with a 4-3 victory over Bloomfield in the championship round.

- At the Brandon Burns Memorial in Smyrna, Tennessee, the top teams in each division put together dominating performances. Pikeville won the men’s division by 659 pins, and Tennessee Southern captured the women’s title by 432 pins.

- At the Ohio Bowling Conference – Event 3 in Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio State women and Northwestern Ohio men finished at the top of the standings.

- At the Spring Hill Fall Tournament – Events 1 and 2 in Mobile, Alabama, the Spring Hill men easily swept the top spots.

- At the Southwest Intercollegiate Bowling Conference (SWIBC) – Event 3 in Fort Worth, Texas, Kansas State led the way in the women’s division. On the men’s side, a late rally in Baker competition helped Houston collect the win by seven pins over Drury.

- At the SWIBC – Event 4 in Fort Worth, Texas, the Drury men found redemption to finish the weekend with a victory. The Kansas State women completed the sweep.

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