Bowling Finishes as No. 24 and No. 7 In Final NTCA National and DII/DIII Polls

Bowling Finishes as No. 24 and No. 7 In Final NTCA National and DII/DIII Polls

Press Release written by sports information graduate intern Mary Kate Rumbaugh

WHITEWATER, WI. – Although their championship run was cut short this spring season, the Wilmington University bowling team finished 24th overall in The National Tenpin Coaches Association April Poll, while ranking seventh in the NTCA DII/DIII Final Poll.

For the first time throughout their four-year program, the women broke the national ranks by earning a spot in the NTCA National Poll back in December. They earned their highest spot at No. 23 in the month of March, before securing the 24th spot in the final national poll this month. Wilmington finished with 65 total points to rank between Lincoln Memorial University and Long Island University in the 23rd and 25th spots.

In the NTCA DII/DIII Final Poll the Wildcats captured the No. 7 spot out of 15 teams. The women earned the No. 7 spot back in February to first put them in the ranks. They finished with a total of 227 points with a 57-43 overall record during the season. The East Coast Conference totaled eight teams to the NTCA DII/DIII Final Poll with Adelphi and Lincoln Memorial being the only two teams in front of the Wildcats at the No. 4 and No. 6 spots, respectively. 

McKendree University took the first-place spot in the NTCA National Poll, finishing with an overall 93-18 record with Arkansas State University taking the No. 2 spot after finishing with an 83-32 record. The University of Nebraska rounded out the top three of the National Poll with a 79-35 overall record.

McKendree also took the top spot in the DII/DIII Final Poll, while the University of Central Missouri finished second with a 55-22 overall record. The University of Wisconsin Whitewater was just one of two DIII schools to make the poll, as they finished third in the poll with a 54-47 overall record.

The Wildcats finished the month of March, 4-8, throughout three tournaments, while competing against three of the top 25 teams in the country before the season was cut short of competing in the ECC Championship.

This season, the Wildcats won the program's first ever tournament championship, winning the Virginia Union Invitational. They also placed second at the Wildcat DII Invitational and the Baker format of the Molloy Bowl for the Cure.