Huskers Look for Third NCAA Title

The second-ranked Nebraska bowling team will travel to Apopka, Fla., for the fourth-annual NCAA Championships on April 12-14. The Central Florida Sports Commission and Sunshine State Conference will co-host the event, which will be held at Brunswick Wekiva Lanes.

The competition begins on Thursday, April 12, with two qualifying rounds containing four five-person regular team games and four five-game Baker matches. The fourth Baker set will serve as the position round and the pinfall from the position round will serve as the tiebreaker. Based on the qualifying rounds, teams will be placed in a double elimination tournament bracket. Teams will then compete against each other in a best-of-seven Baker-style bowling format to determine a winner on Saturday, April 14.

The Huskers, earning their fourth-consecutive NCAA invitation, are one of eight teams competing in the championships. Other teams include Central Missouri State University, Fairleigh-Dickinson University, Maryland-Eastern Shore University, Minnesota State-Mankato University, New Jersey City University, Sacred Heart University and Vanderbilt University.

The NCAA championship finals will be broadcast live on ESPNU on Saturday, April 14, at 3 p.m. CST, with another tape-delay broadcast to be shown on ESPN2 on Sunday, April 15, at 2 p.m. CST.

NCAA History
This weekend the Huskers will participate in their fourth-consecutive NCAA Championship tournament since bowling became an NCAA-sanctioned sport in 2004.

NU captured its first NCAA championship title in 2004. The Huskers then went on to claim their second title in April of 2005. Last season, the Huskers went undefeated until their appearance at the NCAA Championships, where they placed third overall. Under Head Coach Bill Straub and Assistant Coach Paul Klempa, the Husker women’s bowling teams have won seven national titles in 14 years.

While team success has been paramount, numerous Huskers have enjoyed individual success. NU has had at least one All-American in each year for 17 years, dating back to its club program days. Over the past 17 years, 18 Huskers have combined for a total of 34 first- and second-team All-American awards, while Kim Berke (1992), Diandra Hyman (2000), Shannon Pluhowsky (2001, 2004, 2005) and Lindsay Baker (2006) were each chosen as the National Collegiate Bowler of the Year.

Leuthold Captures Tournament Titles
In just her first year as a Nebraska competitor, redshirt freshman Cassandra Leuthold is making a name for herself in collegiate bowling. Leuthold has claimed two individual tournament crowns on the season. She earned her first title at the Maverick Challenge on Nov. 18, 2006, where she held an average of 202. Leuthold then captured her second crown at the Ozark Invitational on Jan. 21, 2007, where she averaged a collegiate-career high of 230.

Four Huskers Earn Spots on Team USA
Four Huskers were awarded spots on the 2007 Team USA at the completion of the United States Bowling Congress Championships on Friday, Jan. 12, 2007, at National Bowling Stadium.

Shannon Pluhowsky, a 2005 graduate, placed second in the trials with a total pinfall of 8,773 over 40 games. Pluhowsky made Team USA for the seventh time in her career. She was also awarded a two-year Team USA spot by the National Selection Committee to automatically make Team USA in 2008. Pluhowsky was a four-time All-American for the Huskers from 2001-2005 and also earned National Collegiate Bowler of the Year honors in 2001, 2004 and 2005.

Former Husker Diandra (Hyman) Asbaty placed fourth with a pinfall of 8,677, marking her ninth time on the national team. Asbaty was a National Collegiate Bowler of the Year in 2000 and earned All-America honors in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Although current Husker Amanda Burgoyne and former bowler Brenda (Edwards) Viator were unable to place in the top-four for automatic spots, they were selected by the National Selection Committee to complete the 12-person team. Burgoyne has earned All-America honors in 2004, 2005 and 2006, while Viator was an All-American in 1995 and 1997.

Team USA 2007 will compete in the Pan American Games, the World Tenpin Bowling Association Women’s World Championships, the American Zone Men’s Championships and the QubicaAMF World Cup.

Huskers Make Honor Roll
Four Nebraska bowlers earned spots on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for their outstanding academic performance during the 2006 fall semester. Senior Amanda Burgoyne, redshirt freshmen Kalyn Washburn and Stephanie McGinnis and freshman Sarah Izydorek were among 270 Nebraska student-athletes to earn the prestigious award.

Burgoyne, a sociology major from Newport, Minn., earned a spot on the honor roll for the second time in her bowling career.

Washburn, an undeclared major and member of the 2006-07 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, also made the honor roll for the second time.

Newcomers McGinnis (business administration) and Izydorek (elementary education) each made their first appearances on the list.

The honor roll honors student-athletes who achieved a 3.0 or higher grade-point average during the 2006 Fall semester. Thirty-three Nebraska athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.