Bowling Team Ranked No. 6 In Preseason Poll
10/1/2015 4:55:00 PM | Women's Bowling
Sam Houston stands sixth in the National Ten Pin Coaches Association (NTCA) 2015-16 preseason rankings announced Thursday.
The Bearkats return six of the seven players who combined for a 91-49 dual match record and a second-consecutive NCAA semifinals appearance last April. Sam Houston earned one regular season tournament title, finished as runner-up in two major events and posted a pair of third place finishes in 2014-15 regular season action.
Defending national champion Nebraska tops the pre-season coaches poll. The Cornhuskers earned 17 of the poll's 25 first-place votes to easily out-distance second place Arkansas State, who tallied five first-place votes. Stephen F. Austin, last year's national runner-up, came in third with a pair of first-place votes, just ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson, who got the remaining first place vote. Vanderbilt was fifth to round out the Top 5.
Sam Houston, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Central Missouri, McKendree and North Carolina A&T round out the Top 10.
Returning letter winners for the Kats include Erin Brown, Anna Groce and Janine Kuwahara who were all part of Sam Houston's 2014 NCAA championship squad. Carrie Hopkinson, Heather Penatzer and Stephanie Zavala were newcomers on last year's squad.
Two new additions to the team are freshman Maysen Keller and transfer Randi Speller.
Sam Houston plays in its first event next weekend as the Bearkats look to defend their championship at the Tulane Invitational.
The Bearkat bowling program, beginning its sixth season, has been ranked in every NTCA national poll since the first regular season voting of the team's inaugural season. Sam Houston has earned NCAA Elite Eight playoff berths four of those five seasons and won the 2014 national championship.
The National Ten Pin Coaches Association is comprised of head coaches at NCAA member institutions. The poll was conducted in late September, and released on the first day of practice for NCAA teams, October 1. This is the first poll the National Tenpin Coaches Association has ranked 25 schools which will continue at the beginning of the month in December, February, March, April and a final poll after the NCAA championship.
2015-16 NTCA PRESEASON NATIONAL RANKINGS
|
1st Place Votes |
Points |
2015 |
||
|
1. |
Nebraska |
17 |
941 |
1 |
|
2. |
Arkansas State |
5 |
865 |
4 |
|
3. |
Stephen F. Austin |
2 |
844 |
2 |
|
4. |
Fairleigh Dickinson |
1 |
827 |
3 |
|
5. |
Vanderbilt |
827 |
3 |
|
|
6. |
Sam Houston |
719 |
5 |
|
|
7. |
Wisconsin-Whitewater |
655 |
6 |
|
|
8. |
Central Missouri |
587 |
8 |
|
|
9. |
McKendree |
577 |
11 |
|
|
10. |
North Carolina A&T |
543 |
9 |
|
|
11. |
Maryland-Eastern Shore |
539 |
10 |
|
|
12. |
St. Francis (PA) |
417 |
12 |
|
|
13. |
Sacred Heart |
391 |
13 |
|
|
14. |
LIU Brooklyn |
363 |
14 |
|
|
15. |
Valparaiso |
258 |
16 |
|
|
16. |
Saint Francis Brooklyn |
247 |
15 |
|
|
17. |
Delaware State |
201 |
17 |
|
|
18. |
Kutztown |
182 |
19 |
|
|
19. |
Tulane |
151 |
NR |
|
|
20. |
Norfolk State |
136 |
18 |
|
|
21. |
Prairie View A&M |
90 |
NR |
|
|
22. |
Adelphi University |
78 |
NR |
|
|
23. |
Monmouth |
69 |
NR |
|
|
24. |
Bowie State |
36 |
NR |
|
|
25. |
Alabama State |
26 |
NR |
|
Also receiving votes:
Franklin Pierce; Jackson State; Felician; Cheyney; Bethune Cookman; Texas Southern; Fayetteville State; Virginia State; Virginia Union; Alabama A&M
