Hawk Invitational Next for Bowlers
2/25/2016 3:04:00 PM | Women's Bowling
With three more tournaments remaining before selection for the 2016 NCAA Championships in April, Sam Houston heads to the talent-laden Hawk Flight Invitational at the Carolier Lanes in North Brunswick, New Jersey.
The tournament is an opportunity not only for the Bearkats to post some more big wins but also to bowl on the lanes that will host the NCAA Championships.
The Bearkats enter the tournament ranked No. 4 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) national rankings. Other ranked foes in the event include No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Fairleigh Dickinson, No. 14 LIU-Brooklyn, No. 15 Kutztown and No. 19 Saint Francis (NY).
Sam Houston owns a 74-34 overall dual match record after the Bearkats' fifth place finish at last weekend's Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack Classic in Houston. The Kats are 54-34 against team ranked among the top 25 and 28-22 against the top 10.
Only one school in the NTCA top 10 holds a winning record over the Bearkats. No 1 Arkansas State has won in seven of its eight meetings with Sam Houston.
The Kats hold winning marks versus No. 3 Vanderbilt (5-2), No. 5 Central Missouri (3-0), No. 6 McKendree (3-1), No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater (3-1), No. 8 SFA (3-2) and No. 9 Fairleigh Dickinson (1-0). Sam Houston is even in matches with No. 2 Nebraska (5-5) and No. 10 North Carolina A&T (2-2).
The schedule for this weekend's tournament calls for five baker total pinfall matches on Friday, five traditional team duels on Saturday and one more on Sunday and two best of seven baker bracket play matches to complete the event.
Following the trip to New Jersey, the Kats have only two more tournaments remaining on their regular season schedule. Sam Houston will travel to Smyra, Tennessee, March 18-20 for the Music City Classic and New Orleans, La., for the Southland Bowling Conference championships March 25-26.
