Two days after placing two of their best bowlers among the top six individuals at the USBC-ITC Sectionals, the Calumet College of St. Joseph men's bowling team kept the momentum going. The Crimson Wave claimed the top spot in the team standings, punching their ticket for the USBC Nationals. The Lady Wave were in action on the other side of the lanes, but a slipup on Sunday putting an end to their own national hopes at St. Clair Bowl in Fairview Heights, Ill.
Sunday's victory for the Wave meant that the CCSJ men's team swept top honors at the tournament, with Tyler James (JR/Deltona, Fla.) taking the top spot in the individual portion on Friday. The team got off on the right foot during day one of the team competition, averaging 222 pins a game, ending the afternoon in first place up 159 pins on their closest competitor, Arizona State. The Sun Devils would not go away so easily however, as they took the lead from Calumet late on day two. Down 32 pins with four games remaining, the Crimson and Gray dug deep, outscoring ASU 836 to 727 in the final position round, earning the team the sectional title and a spot at the USBC Nationals in mid-April. Along with the team, Jeffery Holden will also be heading to Lincoln, Neb. to compete for the single title alongside James.
Unfortunately, the Lady Wave will not be joining their counterparts in the Cornhusker State. Two members of the squad performed well in the singles competition, as Lindsey Norton (SO/Highland, Ind.) and Candice Tovo (SR/Valparaiso, Ind.) finished 22 and 23 respectively, but well back of the seventh place spot needed to qualify for nationals. On the team side, the women started off strong, ending game 32 in fifth place. That would be as high as they got in the standings however, as they fell to ninth before rebounding to finish the tournament in eighth place.
Both teams will now turn their attention back to the NAIA, where the Invitational Tournament is just over the horizon. The men will use it as their final warmup before nationals, while the women will try to go out with a bang. It will take place on the Wave's home turf in Highland, Ind. on March 23-25.
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