Wickliffe, OH - Northeast Conference members Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart each posted identical 4-3 win-loss records on Seeding Day at the 2012 NCAA Bowling Championships and enter the eight-team championship bracket as the No. 3 seed and No. 4 seed, respectively.
Click here for NCAA Bracket (PDF)
After opening with a full day of traditional team play to determine seeding, the NCAA Championships will move to a double-elimination, best-of-seven bracket play format for the remainder of the weekend.
Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart return to best-of-seven baker play for the first time since their epic NEC Championship final back on March 25. With the Knights and Pioneers both in opposite halves of the bracket, an all-NEC NCAA final is possible but a long road must be traveled before that dream can become a reality.
That road will begin on Friday, April 13 at 9:00 am at Freeway Lanes of Wickliffe, the nation’s largest bowling center.
FDU will open play against Arkansas State, a team that recently overtook FDU for the top spot in the NTCA Top 20 Coaches’ Poll but got out to an 0-4 start on Seeding Day. Meanwhile, SHU will see a rather familiar opponent in its opening match with regional rival, and defending NCAA champion, Maryland-Eastern Shore standing in the way.
NCAA Qualifying Seeds
1 – Vanderbilt
2 – Nebraska
3 – Fairleigh Dickinson
4 – Sacred Heart
5 – Maryland-Eastern Shore
6 – Arkansas State
7 – Central Missouri
8 – Valparaiso
Sacred Heart Seeding Day Recap
Sacred Heart will be seeded fourth in the 2012 NCAA Championship bracket after compiling a 4-3 match-play record in the qualifying rounds this afternoon. Jacqueline Willy (Clarence, NY) led the Pioneers, and finished eighth in the field, with a 202 average over seven matches.
Sacred Heart (79-37) started the morning session with its highest game of the block, knocking off #4 Vanderbilt 954-933. Jackie Carbonetto (Blauvelt, NY) paced the SHU attack in game one with a 217. The Pioneers struggled in a game two matchup with NEC rival #2 Fairleigh Dickinson. The Knights cruised to a 973-812 victory behind a 233 from Michelle Hunzaker.
SHU's third game of the tournament saw the red and white square-off with #6 Valparaiso. The Crusaders pulled away late in a back-and-forth battle to earn the win, 1014-916. Nicole Trudell (Coventry, RI) posted her high game of 225 in the contest. Sacred Heart would finish the early session with a dramatic 904-903 triumph over defending national champion #8 Maryland-Eastern Shore. Willy registered the high game for the Pioneers, 224, while Carbonetto sealed the win in the tenth frame before UMES could send its anchor to the lane.
Sacred Heart found itself in the middle of a packed standings sheet following the competition's first four games. Six of the eight teams in the field sat tied with a record of 2-2 while Nebraska was the lone unbeaten squad with a 4-0 mark. #1 Arkansas State was the biggest surprise of the morning block as the Red Wolves were held winless, 0-4.
The Pioneers tangled with #1 Arkansas State in the first match of the afternoon session as both squads improved on what had been their high game of the tournament. However, it was the Red Wolves who came out on top, 1043-977, as Emily Troutman rolled a 244. SHU's high game of the contest came from Willy's 211 in the fourth position in the lineup.
Sacred Heart would bounce right back to score its biggest win of the day in an eight pin triumph over #3 Nebraska. Willy continued her consistent performance with a match high 237, including five straight strikes. Trudell finished strong in the anchor spot, recovering after posting a 66 through five frames. The sophomore rallied to deliver seven consecutive strikes to end the game and notch a 216 as well as put pressure on the Cornhusker anchor. Kayla Jones needed to double for Nebraska but her first ball came in high, allowing SHU to pick up the victory, 970-962.
The Pioneers finished qualifying on a high note by dispatching of #5 Central Missouri, 932-838. The match was tight throughout but Sacred Heart pulled away with a huge tenth frame. Carbonetto, Willy, and Trudell all struck out in their final turn to clinch the win and a record of 4-3 in qualifying.
FDU Seeding Day Recap
Fairleigh Dickinson went 4-3 during the qualifying round of the NCAA National Championship held Thursday, April 12 at Freeway Lanes in Wickliffe, OH. The Knights will own the No. 3 seed as competition resumes on Friday, April 13.
FDU will face Arkansas State in a best-of-seven Baker match to begin Friday’s competition.
The Knights took on Arkansas State in game one, a team they had no defeated in the regular season. FDU started strong, with six strikes in the first two frames. Michelle Hunzaker carried the Knights’ momentum through frame six with six-consecutive strikes. Brianna Carlo added four strikes during that time to help FDU hold the advantage midway through the match.
The Red Wolves challenged FDU with four strikes in the ninth frame but the Knight lineup finished strong with six strikes in the tenth frame.
Hunzaker finished with a 267 after recording nine strikes. Carlo added a 212, while Liat Vizenfeld captured a score of 204. The Knights finished with a team score of 1,061. Arkansas State bowled games of 232, 184, 205, 218 and 176 for a 1,015, giving the Knights their first win of the day.
Northeast Conference rival, Sacred Heart, was the Knights’ second opponent of the day.
The Pioneers struggled early in the game, leaving the lanes open for FDU to control the game. Four strikes in the fourth frame enabled the Knights to take the lead and never look back.
Hunzaker led the Knights again with a score of 233. Senior Joely Carrillo threw nine strikes for FDU and finished with a 232.
SHU bowled games of 139, 159, 174, 183 and 157 for a total score of 812, while the Knights finished with a total of 973.
FDU took on Nebraska in game three. The Cornhuskers took the lead briefly in the opening frames of the game but strikes in the third frame gave the Knights a slight edge.
With six strikes in the sixth and seventh frames, Nebraska reclaimed the lead. The Cornhusker anchor strung together four strikes as the game concluded to give Nebraska the final advantage.
The Knights fell to Nebraska, 931-948. Carrillo paced the team with a score of 234.
The Knights and Jennies of Central Missouri battled in the final game of the morning session. After the Jennies took an early lead, the Knights fought back with 14 strikes between the sixth and ninth frames to close the gap. Central Missouri produced a strong tenth frame to maintain their lead and took the game, 995-958.
Carlo led FDU with a 201, while Danielle McEwan and Carrillo added scores of 196 and 192, respectively. With the loss, the Knights dropped to 2-2 on the day.
FDU faced Vanderbilt in their fifth match of the day. The Commodores took a slight lead early in the game and secured a win with five strikes in the ninth frame. Carrillo once again led FDU with a score of 221.
VU bowled games of 208, 216, 184, 207 and 203 for a 1,018 to out-score FDU, who bowled a 933.
The Knights responded to their third loss of the day with a strong first frame against Valparaiso. All five of the Knights bowlers recorded a strike to give FDU an early lead.
Scores of 207 from Carrillo and a 216 from McEwan helped the Knights compile a 948 total score. The Crusaders bowled games of 163, 207, 140, 187 and 171 for a total 868.
In the final game of the day, the Knights faced 2011 NCAA Champions, Maryland-Eastern Shore. UMES struggled to fill frames and gave FDU a lead early on. Four-consecutive strikes in the ninth frame helped FDU maintain the lead through the end of the game. A score of 207 from Carrillo and a 213 from McEwan edged the Knights to a 935 total score.
UMES bowled games of 163, 136, 160, 124 and 170 for a 753.
With the win, the Knights moved to 4-3 on the day with a total pinfall of 6,739. They will hold the third seed in Friday’s bracket play and will take on the sixth seed, Arkansas State.