Kats picked in NTCA preseason top 10
10/1/2024 11:30:00 AM | Women's Bowling
The Sam Houston bowling team will enter the season ranked in the top 10 of the National Ten Pin Coaches Association preseason poll which was released Tuesday morning.
The Bearkats come in at No. 8. Jacksonville State garnered 31of the 50 first-place votes and 2,076 poll points despite its heavy graduation losses to grab the top spot.Â
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Arkansas State, the 2023 NCAA runner-up, was second in the poll with five first-place votes and 1,950 points. Youngstown State was third, Vanderbilt and Nebraska were fourth and fifth and the remainder of the Top 10 includes North Carolina A&T, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston State, Maryville and Duquesne.
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Stephen F. Austin, Mount St. Mary's, Tulane, Newman and Merrimack hold down the 11th through 15th positions while Maryland-Eastern Shore, NCAA bowling newcomer Wichita State, which landed a first-place vote, Sacred Heart, Fairleigh Dickinson and Valparaiso complete the Top 20.
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McKendree, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Delaware State, Oklahoma Christian and Niagara complete the Top 25. Conference USA members dominated the poll, landing the top four teams and six of the Top 10.
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Brad Hagen on staying in the national championship picture every season:
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"Winning is hard period. To do it consistently and continuously is organized chaos with a lot of sacrifices. Our main focus is to stay competitively relevant no matter who the new faces and personalities are. Every season is always challenging, demanding, and exciting but we all have jobs we have to do, boxes to check, and expectations that never change but evolve."
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On this year's team:
"We're returning 5 of our starting 6 from our Regional Championship roster which establishes a huge base. We have added some very competitive off the radar talent and our potential depth is as deep as it's ever been which is exciting. Building consistency and momentum is key for us in October as we establish lineups and continue to develop our position players. We will certainly lean on the ones who have the competitive experience to keep us on track, but our focus is to develop our depth as efficiently as possible and take advantage of our exhibitions to get in the competitive reps needed. We're competing everyday but the sooner we get live action in front of us with opponents the sooner we can take the steps needed to get back to the NCAA National Championships."
NTCA 2023-24 Pre-Season Coaches Poll (First place votes)
1. Jacksonville State (31)
2. Arkansas State (5)
3. Youngstown State (4)
4. Vanderbilt (4)
5. Nebraska
6. North Carolina A&T
7. LA Tech
8. Sam Houston
9. Maryville University
10. Duquesne Â
11. SFA
12. Mount St. Mary's University
13. Tulane
14. Merrimack College
15. Newman University
16. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
17. Wichita State
18. Sacred Heart University
19. Valparaiso
20. Fairleigh Dickinson University
21. McKendree University
22. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
23. Delaware State
24. Oklahoma Christian University
25. Niagara University
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The Bearkats come in at No. 8. Jacksonville State garnered 31of the 50 first-place votes and 2,076 poll points despite its heavy graduation losses to grab the top spot.Â
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Arkansas State, the 2023 NCAA runner-up, was second in the poll with five first-place votes and 1,950 points. Youngstown State was third, Vanderbilt and Nebraska were fourth and fifth and the remainder of the Top 10 includes North Carolina A&T, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston State, Maryville and Duquesne.
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Stephen F. Austin, Mount St. Mary's, Tulane, Newman and Merrimack hold down the 11th through 15th positions while Maryland-Eastern Shore, NCAA bowling newcomer Wichita State, which landed a first-place vote, Sacred Heart, Fairleigh Dickinson and Valparaiso complete the Top 20.
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McKendree, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Delaware State, Oklahoma Christian and Niagara complete the Top 25. Conference USA members dominated the poll, landing the top four teams and six of the Top 10.
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Quotable
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Brad Hagen on staying in the national championship picture every season:
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"Winning is hard period. To do it consistently and continuously is organized chaos with a lot of sacrifices. Our main focus is to stay competitively relevant no matter who the new faces and personalities are. Every season is always challenging, demanding, and exciting but we all have jobs we have to do, boxes to check, and expectations that never change but evolve."
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On this year's team:
"We're returning 5 of our starting 6 from our Regional Championship roster which establishes a huge base. We have added some very competitive off the radar talent and our potential depth is as deep as it's ever been which is exciting. Building consistency and momentum is key for us in October as we establish lineups and continue to develop our position players. We will certainly lean on the ones who have the competitive experience to keep us on track, but our focus is to develop our depth as efficiently as possible and take advantage of our exhibitions to get in the competitive reps needed. We're competing everyday but the sooner we get live action in front of us with opponents the sooner we can take the steps needed to get back to the NCAA National Championships."
NTCA 2023-24 Pre-Season Coaches Poll (First place votes)
1. Jacksonville State (31)
2. Arkansas State (5)
3. Youngstown State (4)
4. Vanderbilt (4)
5. Nebraska
6. North Carolina A&T
7. LA Tech
8. Sam Houston
9. Maryville University
10. Duquesne Â
11. SFA
12. Mount St. Mary's University
13. Tulane
14. Merrimack College
15. Newman University
16. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
17. Wichita State
18. Sacred Heart University
19. Valparaiso
20. Fairleigh Dickinson University
21. McKendree University
22. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
23. Delaware State
24. Oklahoma Christian University
25. Niagara University
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