Midland University to Compete at USBC Championships
Midland University will compete in the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC) on April 18-20. The tournament's first round of competition will begin on Thursday, April 18 at 8:30 a.m. with finals play taking place on Saturday, April 20. The championships will be held at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, Neb. Events can be viewed live by visiting www.youtube.com/BowlTv .
About the ITC's: The USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships, first put on in 1975, is the pinnacle event of the college bowling season. The Warriors are among the 16 men's teams and 16 women's squads that will try to win a national championship in the event sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress. Sixty-four women's teams and 80 men's teams competed in four sectionals with the top four from each advancing. The event stands as the all-encompassing collegiate bowling championship, pitting teams from all different leagues against one another.
Click here for results as the tournament unfolds.
About Midland: Midland University Bowling has quickly become a national power after only three years of the program's existence. This season the men finished second in the sectional in Las Vegas with 12, 670 total pins. The men have won four events in 2012-13, including the Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational, Rebel Classic, Sin City Open, and Minnesota Invitational. They also have five players who average better than 202.3, with Perry Crowell IV, two time second-team All-American, leading the way with a 207.5 average. The men finished seventh at the ITC's last season.
The Midland women are back at the ITC's for the third consecutive year. They look to avenge their second place finish last year to Webber International. This season the women have clinched three tournament victories, including a Tier I victory at the Rebel Classic. Sabrena Divis, a first-team NAIA All-American and the NAIA rookie of the year, leads Midland with a 196.5 average. Freshman Courtney Couch, a second-team All-American as a freshman, also had a strong season for the Warriors, who won three tournaments.
Men's Roster
Joe Bevelacqua, Jr., Endicott, N.Y.
Troy Busch, Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.
Perry Crowell IV, Jr., Hoquiam, Wash.
Tyler Cruz, So., Tacoma, Wash.
Billy Lowther III, Fr., Fremont, Neb.
Jordan Plunkett, Jr., Seattle
Austin Porter, Sr., Blue Grass, Iowa
Joe Steiner, Sr., North Conway, N.H.
Women's Roster
Courtney Couch, Fr., Puyallup, Wash.
Sabrena Divis, Jr., Gillette, Wyo.
Jordan Knowles, So., Daytona Beach, Fla.
Katie Maher, So., Ottumwa, Iowa
Chelsey Mero, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.
Sarah Muench, Fr., Kewaskum, Wis.
Kjerstin Richards, Jr., Renton, Wash.
Alexa Wasmund, Fr., Red Wing, Minn.
Coaching: J. J. Mastny is in his third season at the helm of Midland University bowling. In Midland's two previous seasons Mastny has guided his teams to numerous tournament victories, including a women's Runner-Up finished last season at the ITC Sectional Competition, while the men also broke into the top 10 of the event finishing seventh at the event. In Midland's inaugural season, Mastny guided his teams to national rankings of 47th (men) and 10th (women), with both squads earning invitations to Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC) Sectional Competition. There, the women won the 2011 Midwest Sectional tournament and qualified for the ITCs in Columbus, Ga. For the team's efforts during the 2010-2011 season, Mastny was honored by the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA) as the recipient of the Kerm Helmer Women's Coach of the Year award.
The full schedule for the USBC Intercollegiate Championships can be accessed by clicking the following link: