Bowlers about to start second half
1/25/2017 12:47:00 PM | Women's Bowling
After it's best start to a season in program history, the Sam Houston State bowlers return to the lanes this weekend as they continue their push for a sixth trip to the NCAA Championship.
The No. 2 ranked Bearkats will head to Arlington this weekend to compete in the Prairie View A&M Invitational at the ITRC VI. The 12-team field is loaded, with 11 teams currently in the NTCA top 25, including eight in the top 10.
“This is a very strong field and a great tournament for us to start the second half of the year,” said seventh-year head coach Brad Hagen. “We are going to see the top teams in the country, and most of them are in our region.”
In addition to the success the teams in the field have enjoyed this season, there is also a lot of history in the competition as well. Every school that has won a Division I national championship since the NCAA began holding a women's bowling championship in 2004 will be competing this weekend.
The Kats are off to their best start since the program started in 2010. They won four of their five events this fall, including three that count toward NCAA standings and have an overall record of 41-10. The No. 2 ranking is the highest for the program since winning the national title in 2014 and highest ever to close out the first half of the year.
“I really like how we ended the first half of the season,” Hagen said. “We were building a lot of momentum through November. Now we will have to see how the team comes out and performs in the second half. Our goal is to win a national championship, but you have to get there to win it. While I like the way we have started, there is still a long way to go before April.”
Action will get started on Friday at the International Training and Research Center, which is also home to the International Bowling Hall of Fame. Competition will start at 12:15 with round 1 of pool play, with teams competing in five sets of five-game baker matches. Saturday will start at 9:25 with five traditional team games for the second round of pool play. There will be one more traditional game Sunday morning before bracket play begins at 9:50 a.m.
