Warriors Reach Match-Play Finale at NAIA-BCA Invite

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Midland University returned to the lanes to compete in the NAIA-BCA Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky. The invitational featured two events, with combined scores from both determining seeding for match play to crown an overall champion.

Midland earned the eighth and final seed with a combined total score of 9,490, just two pins behind the seventh seed. The Warriors made an impressive run in match play, knocking off the top-seeded University of Pikeville and advancing all the way to the final before falling to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), 4-1, in a best-of-seven series.

In the first event, Midland finished seventh with a total score of 5,018. The following day, they finished eighth with a score of 4,472, securing their spot in the bracket.

Entering match play as the No. 8 seed, Midland faced top-seeded Pikeville and defeated them 4-1 to move into the semifinals. In a hard-fought series against William Penn University, the Warriors prevailed in a decisive game seven, winning the series 4-3. In the championship match, Midland fell to second-seeded SCAD, the top-ranked NAIA team, 4-1.

Individually, Brandon Ogden led the Warriors with an eighth-place finish. He totaled 1,119 pins across five games, averaging 223.8. Ogden bowled three games above 220, highlighted by scores of 265 in Game 2 and 269 in Game 3.

Jack Pearson was the next-best finisher for Midland, placing 30th with a total score of 1,014 and an average of 202.8. Alijah Bertrand followed closely, finishing 37th with a total of 986 and an average of 197.2.

The Warriors will next travel to Addison, Illinois, to compete in the Warhawk Open on December 7-8.