Three HBCUs picked for NCAA Bowling Championships
April 7, 2005
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is headed back with
Bethune-Cookman College and Fayetteville State University joining
the Lady Hawks as HBCU participants in the 2005 NCAA Bowling
Championships.
"There are 46 NCAA schools. It is awesome to be considered among the best," said UMES Head Coach Sharon Brummell.
Because there are only 46 schools the NCAA ranks all Divisions, one, two and three, into one field. There are only two DIII schools, one of which is New Jersey City University, a Final Four participant last year. Most are DI, 30 in all. The MEAC, the
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(CIAA) are the only conferences the completely sponsor the sport.
The Central Florida Sports Commission and the Sunshine State Conference will co-host the
championship, which will be held April 14-16 at BRC Wekiva Lanes in Orlando, Florida.
In addition to UMES, B-CC and FSU, the eight-team field includes: Central Missouri State University, Fairleigh
Dickinson University, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, New Jersey City University and Sacred Heart University. All teams were selected at-large.
The tournament has a unique format. The qualifying round, which determines a team's seed
based on total pin fall, will have each team bowling four five-person regular team games and
Baker matches completed in four, best of 5 game Baker sets. The fourth Baker set will serve as
the position round. The pin fall from the position round will serve as the tie breaker. The Baker
format allows five team members to follow each other in order, each bowling a complete frame
until a complete (10 frame) game is bowled.
Based on the qualifying round teams are placed in a double-elimination bracket. Teams compete
against each other in a best-of-seven Baker-style bowling competition. Ties, within a Baker
game will be decided by a ninth and tenth frame roll off.
While it is B-CC's and FSU's first trip to the Elite Eight of College Bowling, it is the
Hawk's second in only two year's of the event. Winston-Salem State represented the CIAA in the event last year. Nebraska won the inaugural title in 2004, defeating Central Missouri State in the championship
match in Houston, Texas.
Earlier this season UMES qualified for the International Bowling Championships (IBC) for the third straight year. UMES is the only NCAA school to make that field of 16. That event will take place about one week after the
NCAA Tournament in Rockford, Ill. They even have one individual competing for the National
Single's Title. Ariel Givens earned a spot in the IBC championship that will take place on May
22-24 in Milwaukee, WI.
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