NCAA Bowling Regionals, Day 1 Recap
The defending champs took an early punch, and a top-three team has been sent packing on the first day of NCAA regional competition.
We got a perfect blend of heavyweight battles and surprising upsets on the first of two days of NCAA regional action.
The semifinals will begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow and the finals will start at 3 p.m. Undefeated teams will have to be beaten twice in the regional final.
Day 1 Results
ROCHESTER, NY: #13 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. winner of #2 Nebraska and Wilmington (DE)
ERIE, PA: #1 McKendree vs. winner of #11 Mount St. Mary's vs. Medaille
LANSING, MI: #4 Vanderbilt vs. winner of #6 Arkansas State and #9 Youngstown State
DALLAS, TX: #8 Stephen F. Austin vs. winner of #5 North Carolina A&T and #7 Louisiana Tech
Five Takeaways
1. The biggest shocker (no pun intended?) of the day was Nebraska falling to Wilmington in the first round.
It's sports — anything can happen — but you don't see upsets like that very often in bowling. The talent gap between elite and unranked teams is massive.
2. The top-ranked team in the notoriously loaded Dallas regional, #3 Sam Houston State, is the first one eliminated. The lowest-ranked team, #8 SFA, remains in the winners bracket.
We all knew that regional was nuts, and it hurt the team on top most of all.
3. If Vanderbilt and Arkansas State bowled 100 matches, they just might tie 50-50.
The rich got richer as Vandy senior Angelique Dalesandro returned to the lanes following a foot injury. The Commodores were already the most talented team in the nation in my eyes.
4. McKendree has been bowling like the nation's top team for a while now, and they proved it again today. They cruised through their two matches.
This region needed a second top-nine team, and I would've liked to have seen NCAT or Youngstown State instead of Medaille here. (I cannot figure out why the Aggies were sent to Dallas in the first place.)
5. I'll be in Rochester tomorrow, where the defending champs will have to win three straight matches to return to the Final Four. I’ll also be rooting like hell for my sister’s team, SFA.
BONUS: College bowling is the best.
So glad to see someone writing about the regionals and college bowling. Thank you!