ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The Kutztown University bowling team held onto their 14th place ranking to wrap up the weekend of competition at the Intercollegiate Team Championship (ITC) sectional qualifiers, hosted by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) at Thunderbowl Lanes on Sunday.
The Golden Bears (50-37 overall) concluded the final two blocks of competition in Michigan, falling back to 15th with a 2,714 pinfall in the third set of 16 games. Block four saw KU finish on a high note, with a weekend-leading 2,917 total, bringing them to a two-day pinfall of 11,241, 14th among the field.
The weekend started with a Saturday morning lineup of Megan Hanaway (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township), Brooke Heimbach (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), Shelby Wunch (Easton, Md./Easton), Kamryn Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) and Chloe Sromovski (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial), with the block ending with Ally Sipe (York, Pa./Central York) and Sydney Snyder (Morrisville, Pa./Conwell-Egan Catholic) in the lineup. Adjustments continued in the second block, with only Hanaway and Sromovski holding the same positions the entire time.
Kutztown's rotation appeared to be settled on Sunday, with Wunch, Hanaway, Kamryn Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) and Sromovski holding their roles for all 32 matches on the day. Heimbach was subbed out early for Snyder in the morning, but was put into the lineup briefly in the afternoon competition.
Most of the standings stayed put, with North Carolina A&T topping the 20-team field, followed by Pikeville, Mount St. Mary's, St. Xavier and Midway, who jumped Marian to claim a spot in the top five.
This competition is not NCAA affiliated, meaning it will not be counted against any team or individual records pertaining to regular or postseason awards distributed by the NCAA or its conferences. The USBC, however, has its own postseason competition and awards its own individual and team national champions separate from the NCAA.
As the Golden Bears return to NCAA competition next weekend, they will do so in the same spot in the latest rankings released by the National Tenpin Coaches Association. KU once again received votes in the coaches poll, one of nine teams to earn the recognition in the March release. This set of rankings is the last of three to come out during the regular season, as the next release will come following the NCAA National Championship in April.
The Golden Bears will turn their focus to the Northeast Roundup, a two-day tournament hosted by Wilmington (Del.) University at Bowlerama in New Castle, Del, on Friday, Mar. 15, and Saturday, Mar. 16. This will be the team's fourth time competing at Bowlerama and will be its last regular season tournament before hosting the East Coast Conference Championship at Berks Lanes the following week.
