INDIANAPOLIS – Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Vanderbilt and Youngstown State all earned at-large bids to the 2024 National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship, the NCAA Women’s Bowling Committee announced Wednesday. Jacksonville State will also join the Conference USA squad with their automatic bid after collecting the conference title.
Jax State enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Pittsburgh Region with their automatic bid. The Gamecocks were placed at the top of the NTCA rankings and NCAA RPI. In their first season as a program, Jax State won the CUSA tournament as they were led by tournament MVP Kayla Smith. They will prepare to take on Mercyhurst in their first regional matchup.
LA Tech earned their bid to the national tournament for the fourth year in a row. The Bulldogs finished fourth in the CUSA tournament and have been a top-10 team all season, led by Abbie and Allie Leiendecker. In the Arlington Region, LA Tech’s first match will be against fellow CUSA qualifier, Sam Houston. The Bearkats ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA RPI rankings with a record of 74-43 in their regular season.
The defending national runner-up, Arkansas State, earned an at-large bid to the Rochester Regional. A-State finished third in the CUSA tournament and are seeded second in the RPI. Head Coach Justin Kostick has led the Red Wolves to all NCAA tournaments in his 15 years with the program. A-State will take on the winner of William Smith and Fayetteville St.’s matchup.
Vanderbilt, the defending national champions, secured their 18th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Commodores will join A-State at the Rochester Regional where they will face the NEC champion, Merrimack, in their first match.
Youngstown State enters the Lansing Region at the No. 3 seed. This season, the Penguins have broken their winning percentage record at 69.9% and were the runners-up of the CUSA Championship. YSU had the toughest strength of schedule in the country and are coming off three-straight mega match wins at the CUSA tournament.
NCAA Pittsburgh Region
1. Jacksonville St.
Mercyhurst
Duquesne
UMES
NCAA Arlington Region
4. NC A&T
Alabama St. vs. Belmont Abbey
Louisiana Tech
Sam Houston
NCAA Rochester Region
2. Arkansas St.
William Smith vs. Fayetteville St.
Vanderbilt
Merrimack
NCAA Lansing Region
3. Youngstown State
Marian (WI)
Nebraska
Maryville (MO)
NCAA Championships
The regional championships will take place April 4-6. All regionals are double elimination except for the play-in match at the five-team regional which will be single elimination. Each round will consist of teams competing in a best-of-three match format, bowled in the following order: five-person team match; Baker total pin fall; and best-of-seven Baker match play. Regional competition will conclude with one team from each regional bracket advancing to compete in the championship finals on April 12-13 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan. The champion will be determined using a best-of-seven Baker match play. The championship final will air at 8 p.m. CT, Saturday, April 13 on ESPNU.