GCU Bowling secures 2nd-ever ITC Nationals bid.
2nd-place finish at ITC Sectionals punches ticket to Kentucky in April.
Story And Photo Courtesy Of GCU. Pictured Is: GCU Bowling Team.
Dallas, TX - - - In a rollercoaster weekend where the Grand Canyon University Bowling team was as low as 17th place in their pool of 21, the Lopes rallied to finish in 2nd place at United States Bowling Congress (USBC) ITC Sectionals in Dallas, Texas. The 2nd-place finish was the Lopes' best in their history at the event and qualified them for only their second trip ever to the USBC National Championships in Jeffersontown, Kentucky.
The slow start that the Lopes experienced is something that they have experience overcoming - often catching fire in Day 2 of events this season.
"We put such a big emphasis on not paying attention to the scores around us," said GCU Head Bowling Coach Ben Canfield. "I'm not even sure that the guys knew they were in 17th after the first block of game. Everyone was so locked in on controlling what was in front of them."
The Lopes picked up momentum quickly after their shaky first 16 games, rolling their way to seventh by the end of game 32, fourth after 48, and their eventual 2nd-place spot, edging out St. Ambrose University by 77 pins on the last day to finish behind champion Wichita State University, who entered the event as the top-seeded team. GCU ended their successful weekend with a total pinfall of 13,106.
"For me personally, making it to ITC Nationals is a dream come true. I'll remember the comeback we had to secure our bid for the rest of my life," said GCU senior Josh Molloy. "This weekend reassured our team that we aren't to be overlooked and it shows how far we've come. Now that we've punched out ticket the real hard work begins to try and make a run at history and become national champions."
Although Molloy is the elder statesman on the GCU squad as a fifth-year senior, he was a year shy of being on the last GCU squad to make the ITC Nationals trip.
"A finish like this is really validating as a club program," said Canfield. "To make it back to nationals reaffirms the worth of the hard work that we've been putting in since 2019. We don't take the opportunity for granted."
Although the team punched their ticket to ITC Nationals, their next event is the Collegiate Club National Bowling Championships on April 6-7 in Anderson, Indiana. Both the Lopes' Men's and Women's Bowling teams will attend.
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Story Courtesy Of Bowl.com. How The Lopes Punched Their Ticket.
ARLINGTON, Texas – The teams that will compete for the Helmer Cup at the 2024 Intercollegiate Team Championships in April were determined Sunday after two days of sectional qualifying concluded at four locations across the country.
The top four performers in the men’s and women’s divisions at each location advanced to the national team competition, which will take place April 17-20 at Kingpin Lanes in Jeffersontown, Kentucky.
The sectional qualifiers were held at Stardust Bowl in Addison, Illinois; Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan; Cityview Lanes in Fort Worth, Texas; and Smyrna Bowling Center in Smyrna, Tennessee.
Teams bowled a total of 64 Baker games Saturday and Sunday at their respective locations with total pinfall determining the advancers.
The possibility of a repeat national champion remains alive in the men’s division as Wichita State advanced to nationals by winning the Fort Worth Sectional. There will be a new titlist on the women’s side, however, after McKendree finished outside the top four in Addison.
While Wichita State will be looking to repeat and add to its own record by claiming its 14th men’s national title, the men’s team from Muskingum and the women’s teams from Jacksonville State and Oklahoma Christian will be making their ITC national finals debuts this year.
The qualifiers in the men’s division include (place, college, pinfall):
• Addison – 1, Wisconsin-Whitewater, 13,546; 2, Mount Mercy, 13,307; 3, McKendree, 13,162; 4, Midland, 13,123
• Allen Park – 1, Calumet, 13,444; 2, Muskingum, 13,290; 3, Lawrence Tech, 13,087; 4, Pikeville, 12,854
• Fort Worth – 1, Wichita State, 13,821; 2, Grand Canyon, 13,106; 3, St. Ambrose, 13,029; 4, Lindenwood, 13,021
• Smyrna – 1, Webber International, 13,248; 2, Marian-Indiana, 13,225; 3, Indiana Tech, 13,178; 4, Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah, 13,097
The qualifiers in the women’s division are (place, college, pinfall):
• Addison – 1, Mount Mercy, 13,130; 2, Duquesne, 12,716; 3, St. Francis-Illinois, 12,178; 4, Saint Xavier, 12,149
• Allen Park – 1, Pikeville, 13,383; 2, North Carolina A&T, 13,135; 3, Sacred Heart, 12,519; 4, Maryville, 12,518
• Fort Worth – 1, Louisiana Tech, 13,051; 2, Wichita State, 12,901; 3, Tulane, 12,450, 4, Oklahoma Christian, 12,450
• Smyrna – 1, Jacksonville State, 13,403; 2, Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah, 13,235; 3, Maryland Eastern Shore, 12,511; 4, Webber International, 12,379
Select pairs at each sectional location were broadcast live at BowlTV.com.
The finalists for the 2024 Intercollegiate Singles Championships also were determined at the sectional qualifying locations Friday.
Student-athletes rolled six games to determine the advancers out of each location. A total of 24 men and 24 women moved on to the national singles event, which also will take place at Kingpin Lanes and run from April 15-20.
For more information on the Intercollegiate Team Championships, visit BOWL.com/ITC.