Thursday, April 11, 2013

No shortage of title-winning pedigree in championship field

CANTON, Michigan  --  When you take a look at the list of teams vying for the 2013 NC Bowling Championship beginning Thursday at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Mich., two-time defending national champion Maryland-Eastern Shore is sure to grab your attention.

And it should. After all, the Hawks are two-time defending national champions and have won 10 tournaments this season. What’s more, they haven’t finished worse than second in any event they’ve competed in this year.

“We are honored to be the second overall selection,” head coach Kristina Frahm said. “I do feel, however that we have a top team and I think our experiences can help us make a serious run at winning another national championship.

“Obviously, we are looking for a three-peat.”

Look a bit further at the team list and you’ll notice that the field includes every school that has won the national championship since its inception in 2004.

Current NTCA No. 1 Nebraska won the first two championships in 2004 and ’05 and the Huskers hoisted the hardware again in 2009. The Huskers, like the Hawks, have participated in every national championship tournament. This season’s Huskers, however, sport a bit of a different look than in years past. The team boasts just one senior, team leader Kristina Mickelson, who suffered a cracked elbow in a car accident in September and has seen limited action this season.

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THE QUEST FOR A THREE-PEAT BEGINS TODAY

 CANTON, Mich. - While the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) women's bowling team is no stranger to history and records, they are heading into uncharted territory today when they embark on a quest for a third straight NCAA Championship and fourth overall. No team has won four NCAA titles and no one has won three-in-a-row.

The two-time defending champions, fresh off their dominating win for the MEAC title, are the No. 2 overall seed and will attempt to collect a third consecutive title - and fourth overall. UMES, along with seven other finalists, are competing April 11-13. The best-of-seven-games finals will air live on ESPNU on Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m. with Dave Armstrong calling the action from the lanes, alongside analyst and PBA Hall of Famer Randy Pedersen.

Central Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt, Sam Houston State, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Fairleigh Dickinson round out the eight-team field. The final two days of the tournament will be played in the Baker format, in which teams of five compete against each other, with the members bowling one frame in order, through the 10 frames.

The event is held at Super Bowl Lanes, site of the 2009 Championships. While UMES didn't win in 2009, they did the last time they were in Michigan, 2011 when the event was in Taylor. Action begins Thursday the 11th at 11:00 a.m. The teams will bowl seven team games, facing each team in the field once. The second block starts at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 10:00 p.m. on the opening day. The first day determines seeding and the teams will then face-off in a double elimination bracket on Friday starting again at 11 a.m.

The official NCAA Bowling Championship digital program is available online and is free to view and will be updated after the championship. Fans can access that here.

The University of Detroit-Mercy is co-hosting the event and will update their website regularly throughout each day. Fans can find that by clicking here.The Detroit Sports Commission is the other host and will be updating social media regularly. The event is using a hash tag of #ncaabowling. Fans can find them at:

Facebook

Twitter

Fans can also match matches live via live streaming. Each match on Thursday and Friday is streamed and all matches are available here.

It can be found manually by going to www.ncaa.com, clicking the video tab, then NCAA Live-Winter Championships then the date.   The USBC will also be on hand and posting updates throughout the day at bowl.com

Everything will also be available on www.umeshawks.com

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

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