Huskers Finish Third at Music City Classic

Smyrna, Tenn. – The top-ranked Nebraska bowling team defeated Stephen F. Austin in the consolation match Sunday to wrap up third place at the Columbia 300 Music City Classic at Smyrna Bowling Center in Smyrna, Tenn.

The Cornhuskers (93-30) finished the weekend with a total pinfall of 15,559. NU went 13-2 for the tournament with an average of 196.9.

Second-ranked Arkansas State defeated No. 7 McKendree 4-1 in the championship match.

In the opening round match, Nebraska, which began the day as the third seed, took down hosts Vanderbilt by a score of 4.5-1.5. After splitting the first game, the Huskers reeled off wins in four of the next five games to seal the win.

NU moved on to face McKendree for a spot in the championship match and jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The Bearcats won the next two games before Nebraska took a 3-2 lead with a win in game five. McKendree edged the Big Red by three pins in game six and took game seven by a score of 223-181 to move on.

In the third-place match, Nebraska won the first three games before No. 5 Stephen F. Austin earned a pair of wins in games four and five. The Huskers would take the match with a 213-211 win in game six.

In the individual standings, Melanie Crawford led the Huskers with an average of 203.7, good for 11th overall. Gazmine Mason finished 16th with an average of 197.7 and Bethany Hedley finished 17th with an average of 197.5.

The Huskers will await selection and seeding for the NCAA Championships with the selection show set to take place on March 30. The NCAA Championships will take place April 14-16 in North Brunswick, N.J. Nebraska won the 2015 NCAA Championship, as well as NCAA titles in 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2013.