KUTZTOWN, Pa. (April 19, 2011) – The Kutztown University women's bowling team will hit the road for its final event of the season. The Golden Bears are one of 16 squads that will compete for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) national championship in Columbus (Ga.) beginning Thursday morning. The event will be held at the AMF Peach Lanes. (SCHEDULE)
The Golden Bears (100-40 overall) will take their third plane trip in a month and second in a week when they leave Wednesday morning. The field of 16 men's teams and 16 women's teams was determined at sectional qualifiers at four sites - Allentown, Pa.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Peoria, Ill.; and Euless, Texas - with the top four teams in each division advancing. All teams bowled 64 games of Baker competition over two days for the right to advance to the Intercollegiate Team Championships.
Fans will be able to watch every second of the USBC championships on www.bowl.com.
The Golden Bears are the only NCAA Division II school to participate in the NCAA and USBC national championships. Joe Ambrose was named the NTCA Division II/III Coach of the Year. Samantha Santoro (Reinholds, PA/Cocalico ) and Kayla Jones (Johnstown, PA/Westmont Hilltop ) were selected to the NTCA All-America honorable mention team. The Golden Bears reaped the rewards of a sterling season that concluded with them participating in the NCAA Championships for the first time in the four-year history of the program.
Joining Kutztown in the Peach State will be Wichita State, McKendree University, Lindenwood, Robert Morris (Ill.), University of Central Florida, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Webber International, Pikesville College, Newman University, Midland University, West Texas A&M, Bellarmine, Florida State, Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Adelphi.
The sectional champions were Central Florida (Allentown), UMES (Euless, Texas), Webber International (Chattanooga) and Midland (Peoria). Maryland-Eastern Shore defeated Vanderbilt to win the NCAA national championship last weekend at Skore Lanes in Taylor (Michigan). The Golden Bears were third in the sectional tournament.
Kutztown finished tied for fifth at last weekend's NCAA championships. The Golden Bears had a strong showing and will look to finish the season with a bang. Kutztown lost to Fairleigh-Dickinson, 4-3, defeated Central Missouri State, 4-3, before losing to University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, 4-2, in thrilling matches.
Each spring, college bowling teams compete in regional qualifying tournaments known as “sectionals” for a chance to hoist the Kerm Helmer Cup at the renowned Intercollegiate Championships in May. The USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships (formerly the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships) was first contested in 1975. The ITC brings together the top 16 women's teams in the country to compete for national titles.
For a school to participate in the ITC, it must compete in certified college tournaments and conferences throughout the season. By either winning a conference or being one of the top-ranked teams in the country, schools advance to postseason sectional qualifying events. The top four men's teams and top four women's teams from each sectional tournament earn berths into the ITC.
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