NCAA Bowling Championship

NCAA Bowling Championship

Sport	College Bowling
Founded	2004
No. of teams	8
Most recent champion(s)	Stephen F. Austin (1)
TV partner(s)	ESPNU
Official website	NCAA.com

The NCAA Bowling Championship is a sanctioned women's championship in college athletics. Unlike many NCAA sports, only one championship is held each season with teams from Division I, Division II, and Division III competing together. Eight teams, all at-large selections, are chosen by the NCAA Bowling Committee to compete in the championships. The championship was first held in April of 2004.

The most successful team is Nebraska with 5 titles. The reigning champions are Stephen F. Austin, who defeated Nebraska in seven games in the 2016 finals in a rematch of the 2015 finals that was won by Nebraska in six games. This is Stephen F. Austin's first NCAA Bowling Championship and its first team NCAA Championship at the Division I level.

Nebraska and Central Missouri have received at-large bids for all 13 NCAA Bowling Championships held to date.

Format

The collegiate bowling season runs during the winter (beginning in October), and the championship is typically held in April. The current format for the championships begins with qualifying rounds in which each team bowls one five-person regular team game against each of the other seven teams participating in the championship for a total of seven games. Teams will be seeded for bracket play based on their win-loss record after seven games. Teams will then compete in best-of-seven-games Baker matches in a double elimination tournament. In the Baker format, each of the five team members, in order, bowls a complete frame until a complete (10-frame) game is bowled. A Baker match tied 3½ games to 3½ games after seven games will be decided by a tiebreaker using the Modified Baker format, which is the last five frames (frames 6 to 10).^[1]

At present, all participants receive at-large bids, but it is proposed that automatic qualifiers be awarded to conference champions, starting in 2018.^[2]

Champions

NCAA National Collegiate Bowling Championship
Year	Site		Championship
			Winner	Score	Runner-up	Individual Games
2004 Details	Emerald Bowl Houston, TX		Nebraska	4–2	Central Missouri State	170–131, 160–208, 185–190, 239–150, 219–197, 215–173[3][Note 1]
2005 Details	Wekiva Lanes Orlando, FL		Nebraska	4–2	Central Missouri State	220–210, 247–266, 148–192, 205–190, 190–172, 235–184[4][Note 2]
2006 Details	Emerald Bowl Houston, TX		Fairleigh Dickinson	4–1	Alabama A&M	209–165, 148–184, 172–165, 200–179, 196–165[6][Note 3]
2007 Details	Apopka, FL		Vanderbilt	4–3	UMES	167–164, 242–166, 154–202, 148–170, 224–180, 178–235, 198–150[7][Note 4]
2008 Details	Omaha, NE		UMES	4–2	Arkansas State	179–223, 200–181, 180–182, 217–164, 175–152, 174–170[9][10]
2009 Details	Canton, MI		Nebraska	4–1	Central Missouri	200–185, 149–198, 201–168, 201–177, 190–135[11]
2010 Details	North Brunswick, NJ		Fairleigh Dickinson	4–3	Nebraska	209–167, 202–222, 203–213, 229–192, 201–222, 230–190, 208–174[12]
2011 Details	Taylor, MI		UMES	4–2	Vanderbilt	215–197, 164–193, 201–248, 234–204, 235–166, 192–181[13][14]
2012 Details	Wickliffe, OH		UMES	4–2	Fairleigh Dickinson	222–204, 236–215, 167–249, 208–168, 170–223, 203–176[15]
2013 Details	Canton, MI		Nebraska	4½–2½	Vanderbilt	211–199, 186–197, 156–169, 190–190, 196–189, 202–182, 246–200[16]
2014	Wickliffe, OH		Sam Houston State	4–2	Nebraska	181-166, 182-187, 193-190, 189-197, 205-191, 195-165[17]
2015	Richmond Heights, MO		Nebraska	4–2	Stephen F. Austin	237-232, 178-253, 201-171, 179-188, 205-201, 195-154[18][19]
2016	North Brunswick, NJ		Stephen F. Austin	4–3	Nebraska	193-205, 238-198, 265-242, 164-227, 196-187, 160-237, 247-192[20]
2017	Baton Rouge, LA[21]
2018	Richmond Heights, MO[22]

Championship participants

Source:^[23]

School	Appearances	Years (Champion in Bold)
Alabama A&M	1	2006
Arkansas State	9	2008, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16
Bethune-Cookman	2	2005, '06
Central Missouri	13	2004, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16
Delaware State	2	2009, '10
Fairleigh Dickinson	11	2004, '05, '06, '07, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15
Fayetteville State	1	2005
Kutztown	1	2011
Maryland Eastern Shore	11	2004, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14
McKendree	1	2016
Minnesota State Mankato	2	2007, '08
Nebraska	13	2004, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16
New Jersey City	7	2004, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10
North Carolina A&T	1	2016
Sacred Heart	5	2004, '05, '07, '08, '12
Sam Houston State	5	2011, '13, '14, '15, '16
Southern	1	2004
Stephen F. Austin	2	2015, '16
Valparaiso	1	2012
Vanderbilt	11	2006, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16
Winston-Salem State	1	2004
Wisconsin–Whitewater	3	2013, '14, '15

NCAA Programs

A total of 71 teams competed in 2015-16:

• 33 from Division I
• 26 from Division II
• 12 from Division III

Conferences

• Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (4 D-III schools)
• Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (10 D-II schools)
• East Coast Conference^[24] (6 D-II schools)
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (11 D-I schools)
• Northeast Conference (5 D-I & 1 D-II schools)
• Southland Bowling League (8 D-I schools)
• Southwestern Athletic Conference (7 D-I schools)

Notes

1. Nebraska had to win two best-of-seven matchups against Central Missouri State (who advanced to the finals after going undefeated in Friday's double elimination format) to win the first NCAA bowling title. Nebraska won the first match 4-2 (183-176, 168-200, 195-170, 212-212 (60-40), 168-203, 246-195) to force the winner-take-all match.
2. Under the same double elimination format used in 2004, Nebraska went undefeated, winning three matches on Friday, meaning they only had to win once (out of a possible two best-of-seven matches) against Central Missouri State to win the NCAA Bowling Championship. Nebraska needed only one best-of-seven match-up to win their second straight NCAA Bowling title.^[5]
3. Fairleigh Dickinson (only team undefeated, 3-0 after Friday's double elimination matches) needed only one best-of-seven match (out of a possible two matches) to defeat Alabama A&M.
4. The double elimination format was tweaked in 2007 and subsequently every NCAA Bowling Championships have used this format since. Under the previous double elimination format used from 2004-2006, the finalist with one loss had to defeat the undefeated finalist twice in best-of-seven matches to win the bowling championship. Beginning in 2007, two teams that win two best-of-seven matches advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the two undefeated teams would only need to win once out a possible two matches to advance to the final. In the 2007 championships, Vanderbilt and Maryland Eastern Shore won two matches to advance to the semifinals. Both teams only needed one match to advance to the best-of-seven finals match.^[8]

References

1. NCAA Bowling Championship Format
2. "Committee recommends AQ proposal for bowling championship for 2018". NCAA. February 18, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
3. "Huskers Win NCAA Bowling Title" (Press release). University of Nebraska Athletics. April 10, 2004.
4. "Huskers Repeat as National Champions" (Press release). April 16, 2005.
5. 2005 NCAA Bowling Bracket
6. Fairleigh Dickinson Win 2006 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship
7. "Vanderbilt Bowlers Make History! Commodores Crowned as NCAA Champs" (Press release). Vanderbilt University Athletics. April 14, 2007.
8. 2007 NCAA Women's Bowling Bracket
9. "National Champions!!!!!" (Press release). University of Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics. April 12, 2008.
10. 2008 NCAA Women's Bowling Bracket
11. "Huskers Capture NCAA Bowling Title" (Press release). University of Nebraska Athletics. April 12, 2009.
12. "Fairleigh Dickinson Women's Bowling Wins National Championship" (Press release). Fairleigh Dickinson University Athletics. April 10, 2010.
13. "National Champions!" (Press release). University of Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics. April 16, 2011.
14. 2011 NCAA Women's Bowling Championship
15. "Hawks Soar Higher; Win Back to Back NCAA Championships" (Press release). University of Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics. April 15, 2012.
16. "Huskers Capture Fourth National Title" (Press release). University of Nebraska Athletics. April 13, 2013.
17. Spoor, Mark (April 13, 2014). "Bearkat beginnings" (Press release). NCAA.
18. "Huskers Capture Fifth NCAA Title" (Press release). University of Nebraska Athletics. April 11, 2015.
19. "SFA Finishes as NCAA National Runner-Up" (Press release). Stephen F. Austin University Athletics. April 11, 2015.
20. "NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Ladyjacks Down Nebraska For Program's First NCAA Title" (Press release). Stephen F. Austin University Athletics. April 16, 2016.
21. Tulane, Baton Rouge to serve as hosts for 2017 bowling tourney
22. "Central Missouri and St. Louis Sports Commission will host 2018 Bowling Championships". University of Central Missouri Athletics. Dec 13, 2013.
23. "National Collegiate Bowling" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
24. "East Coast Conference Announces Addition of Women's Bowling" (Press release). East Coast Conference. July 2, 2015.

External links

• NCAA bowling
• NCAA Women's Bowling Championship Tournament Records
• National Tenpin Coaches Association
• U.S. Bowling Congress intercollegiate champions