Huskers Take Lead at NCAA Bowling Championships

Houston, Texas ? The Nebraska bowling team used a strong performance during the evening session to take the lead after the first day of competition at the inaugural NCAA Championships at Emerald Bowl in Houston.

The Huskers, who were in fourth place after the morning session, lead the eight-team field with a total pinfall of 7,633 through seven games. Central Missouri State is in second place, 46 pins behind the Huskers, while Sacred Heart, which led after the morning session, is in third with a total of 7,587

"They shot the lights out this evening," Nebraska Coach Bill Straub said. "We came out a lot more relaxed then earlier in the day, which was very good to see."

Straub said one bowler who came up big during the evening session was sophomore Jamie Martin. The sophomore from Omaha who was not in the starting lineup at the start the day, averaged a 247 during tonight’s three-game session, including a team-best 262 in the finale, and finished with a 216 average over five games.

"Jamie really came through for us," Straub said. "She had a good look at things (before the round) and decided to put her in the lineup and she performed well. The whole team really came out and did a good job this evening."

Shannon Pluhowsky (Phoenix, Ariz.) paced the Huskers during the opening day, averaging a 234.43 in seven games, including a 262 in the NU’s opening-round game, to finish second in the individual competition. Pluhowsky is one of three Huskers in the top 20, as freshman Adrienne Miller (Albuquerque, N.M.) is in ninth place with a 220.71 average, while Amanda Burgoyne (Newport, Minn.) is in 19th after averaging a 206.43.

The Huskers were in fourth place at the end of the first four-game session Thursday afternoon with a score of 4,197. Sacred Heart led the eight-team field with a pinfall of 4,370, 16 pins ahead of Central Missouri State’s total of 4,354.

Competition resumes Friday morning with the final round of qualifying set for 9 p.m. Following that round, double-elimination rounds begin at 2:30 p.m. (CDT).

"It is important that we get off to a good start tomorrow," Straub said. "We want to finish the qualifying round as the top seed, but everything starts at zero tomorrow afternoon (when Baker format begins)."

NCAA Bowling Championship Results (after seven games)

No.

Team

Pinfall

1

Nebraska

7,633

2

Central Missouri State

7,587

3

Sacred Heart

7,562

4

New Jersey City University

7,439

5

Fairleigh Dickinson

7,390

6

Southern

7,264

7

Maryland-Eastern Shore

7,061

8

Winston-Salem State

5,420