Huskers Head to NCAA Bowling Championships

Lincoln -- Nebraska looks to make NCAA history next week, as the Husker bowlers travel to Houston, Texas, for the first-ever NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship. The Huskers, who have won five Intercollegiate Bowling Championships (IBC), including two since becoming a varsity sport in 1997, will join seven other schools in competing in the NCAA’s newest championship event, April 8-10 in Houston Texas.

The competition begins on Thursday, April 8, with each team bowling seven regular games along with three Baker games for a qualifying total. 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 pinfall of the qualifying round, the teams are placed in a double-elimination bracket. Teams compete against each other in a best-of-seven Baker-style bowling competition.

Huskers Putting Together Successful 2003-04 Season
Nebraska has enjoyed its first year of NCAA sanctioned competition, winning six of eight tournaments and earning top-three finishes in the other two events. In 2003-04, the Husker bowlers have accomplished the following:

• Nebraska won its first four tournaments to open the season for the first time since becoming a varsity sport at Nebraska (1997-98 year). NU had never won more than three straight to open any season.
• Nebraska’s six tournament wins (in eight events) was the second-highest tournament total in school history, trailing only the seven titles (in 10 events) won by the 2001-02 Huskers.
• The Huskers claimed five individual tournament titles - four by Shannon Pluhowsky and one by Amanda Burgoyne - which equaled the second-highest number in school annals. Only the 2001 national champion Huskers - with seven event titles - took home more individual crowns than this season’s squad.

Pluhowsky Looks to Add NCAA TItle to Her Resume
For junior Shannon Pluhowsky, next week’s NCAA Championships provides the Phoenix, Ariz., native another opportunity to add to one of the greatest amateur careers in bowling history.

In 2003-04, Pluhowsky has been busy, winning the gold medal in the Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic, placing second at the Bowling World Cup in Honduras, and repeating as the U.S. Amateur champion - becoming the first female to win three straight titles in addition to her collegiate honors. Pluhowsky has won four tournament titles this season, increasing her career total to a school-record 10 titles. She set the NCAA mark for highest tournament average in competition with a 254.30 at the Whitewater Invitational in November and is the only Husker to ever average a 240 or better in competition.

A two-time All-American and IBC National Bowler of the Year in 2001, Pluhowsky holds NU marks for career average (220.407) and most titles (10) while posting 20 top-five finishes in 27 career tournaments.

Husker Red, White and Blue
Nebraska is well represented on the current U.S. National Team, as three current or former Huskers are among the eight bowlers on the 2004 team. Shannon Pluhowsky is the three-time U.S. Amateur champion and is in her fourth year on Team USA. In addition, freshman Amanda Burgoyne earned her spot on Team USA after placing fifth at the U.S. Amateur championship in Las Vegas in January. She became the sixth Husker bowler under Coach Bill Straub to earn a place on the U.S. National Team. Former Husker Diandra Asbaty (Hyman), who competed at Nebraska from 1999 until 2002, is in her sixth year of representing the U.S squad. Another former Husker, Kari Schwager, placed 13th, and barely missed being one of the three at-large selections.

It’s all in the Family for Miller
Adrienne Miller comes from a background of bowling excellence that has made her well suited for success at the college level. Miller’s father, Mike Miller, has been a member of the Professional Bowlers Tour since 1980, while her aunt, Dana Miller-Mackie, was inducted into the PWBA Hall of Fame in 2002 after winning 16 career titles and five WIBC All-America honors.

Miller, who averages a 201.45 in 49 games this season, has three top-five finishes, including third-place showings at the Southern Classic - her first collegiate event - and the Holiday Collegiate Classic last month in Birmingham, Ala. In baker format matches, she is the Huskers’ lead-off bowler.

Burgoyne: Tommorrow’s Star Today
Freshman Amanda Burgoyne was honored last November with the Women’s International Bowling Congress (WIBC) Star of Tomorrow Award, recognizing the nation’s top youth bowler. The award, which will be presented to Burgoyne later this spring, is given to a U.S. or Canadian female high school or college student who has excelled in local and national competitions while demonstrating high academic achievement.

The freshman from Newport, Minn., has lived up to those lofty expectations during 2003-04. She joined Pluhowsky as the only Huskers to compete in all eight tournaments, and averaged a 201.225 in 55 games. Burgoyne won the Triad Women’s Classic in November and has four straight top-10 finishes heading into the NCAAs. Burgoyne proved her mettle during the U.S. Women’s Amateur championships in January, finishing fifth in a field of over 100 of the nation’s best bowlers to earn a place on Team USA in 2004.

Youth is Served
NU’s NCAA roster may be one of the youngest of the eight participating teams. Of the seven bowlers on the roster, six are either freshmen or sophomores, as Shannon Pluhowsky is the only upperclass bowler traveling to NCAAs.

Huskers Succeed in Classroom
A total of eight Husker bowlers were honored in February with selection to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Six of 11 bowlers on the 2004 roster, as well as a pair of former Husker standouts were among 286 Nebraska student-athletes who were recognized for their success in the classroom.

The honorees are led by sophomore Karla Engh, who carried a 4.0 GPA in elementary education during the fall semester. It is Engh’s second straight appearance on the conference academic honor roll. Other current Husker bowlers honored include sophomore Jamie Martin (family and consumer science), freshman Mindy Pancoast (civil engineering), senior Christina Perez (history), junior Shannon Pluhowsky (family and consumer science) and junior Melissa Stewart (management).

Pluhowsky Featured in SI on Campus
Nebraska bowler Shannon Pluhowsky is featured nationally in a recent edition of Sports Illustrated on Campus. The three-time U.S. Amateur champion is profiled in a three-page story with other Olympic sport standouts and includes a portrait of Pluhowsky and one of her bowling balls frozen in a 300-pound block of ice.

NCAAs to be Televised on ESPN2 on April 11th
The inaugural NCAA women’s bowling championship will be covered on ESPN2. The upcoming NCAA Championship is from April 8-10, in Houston, Texas, and will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Sunday, April 11, at 1 p.m. (central) with Dave Ryan doing the play-by-play.