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The top-ranked Nebraska bowling team returns home this weekend for the annual Big Red Invitational. The tournament will take place at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, Thursday through Saturday. Per rules of the event, each day will be a separate tournament. The Huskers won two of the three day-long tournaments last season.
The fifth Big Red Invitational begins Thursday with each team playing four five-game Baker matches at 5:45 p.m, followed by six traditional team matches Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. The tournament will conclude Saturday with four traditional team matches, starting at 7:55 a.m.
Admission to the event is free all weekend. Promotional activities are scheduled for Thursday night, including free pizza vouchers for the first 100 fans. Bowling pin pens, water bottles and rally towels will be given away and a student drawing for an Amazon Fire TV Stick will take place Thursday as well. Doors open at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Eight teams will participate this weekend, including seven teams ranked in the NTCA preseason top 25. Six top-10 teams will compete, including Nebraska, No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater and No. 8 Central Missouri. No. 2 Arkansas State will bowl this weekend as well. Red Wolves head coach Justin Kostick was a member of the Nebraska men’s bowling team from 1999 to 2004 and was coached by Nebraska head coach Bill Straub. No. 9 McKendree, fresh off a Crusader Classic championship, will bring Husker ties to Lincoln as well. Bearcat Director of Bowling Bryan O’Keefe was a first-team All-American in 1996, as he helped the Husker men to a 1996 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championship. No. 6 Sam Houston State is also in the tournament field. The Bearkats defeated NU in the 2014 NCAA Championship match. Valparaiso (No. 15) and Lincoln (Mo.) round out the lineup.
The tournament will have a familiar feel, as six of the eight teams participated last weekend at the Crusader Classic in Valparaiso, Ind. Arkansas State, Central Missouri, McKendree and Wisconsin-Whitewater all competed in the tournament, as did the hosts from Valparaiso and NU.
The Huskers finished third at the Crusader Classic, defeating Wisconsin-Whitewater in the third-place match of the best-of-seven Baker Format championship tournament. The Big Red finished the weekend with an 8-5 record and a 12,874 pinfall, good for a 192.1 average.
Nebraska was led by junior Gazmine Mason, who finished atop the individual standings with a 223.8 average. The victory is the second of her career after winning the individual portion of the Music City Classic a year ago. Senior Melanie Crawford finished 10th with a 201 average, and sophomore Julia Bond finished 12th with a 200.6 average.
For information on the event including a link to live scoring, please check huskers.com.
Big Red Invitational - Teams Competing
Nebraska
Arkansas State
Central Missouri
McKendree (Ill.)
Lincoln (Mo.)
Sam Houston State
Wisconsin Whitewater
Valparaiso
Lincoln: Title Town
In 19 years as a varsity sport, Nebraska bowling has been one of the top programs in the nation. Coach Bill Straub has guided the Huskers to unprecedented success, winning national titles in 1991, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2015. Once bowling became an NCAA-recognized sport in 2003-04, the Huskers won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005, followed by titles in 2009, 2013 and most recently another in 2015.
A History of Success
A total of 90 tournament titles in 177 competitions entering the 2015-16 campaign creates an impressive list of accomplishments for Nebraska, while Straub’s bowlers have not been ranked lower than seventh in the team rankings since becoming a varsity sport in 1997.
The constant success under Straub has made the Huskers a fixture in the national polls, ranking in the top five nationally all the way back to 1990, when the sport was flourishing at the club level. Over the years, Straub has been a constant in Nebraska’s bowling success.
National Honors and Awards
While the Husker team accomplishments have been paramount, many bowlers have enjoyed individual success. NU has had at least one All-American in 25 of the last 26 years, dating back to its club program days. Since 1989, 27 Huskers have combined for a total of 58 first-, second- and third-team All-America awards, while Kim Berke (1992), Diandra Hyman (2000), Shannon Pluhowsky (2001, 2004, 2005), Lindsay Baker (2006), Amanda Burgoyne (2007), Cassandra Leuthold (2010) and Lizabeth Kuhlkin (2015) were each chosen as the National Collegiate Bowler of the Year.
NCAA Tournament MVP
Julia Bond was named Most Outstanding Bowler at the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Tropicana Lanes in St. Louis, Mo. Bond unleashed a 225.6 average in the tournament, leading the Huskers to their fifth NCAA title. For the year, Bond had a 206.5 average, third on the team.
Hall of Famer
Shannon Pluhowsky, a Husker bowler from 2001-05, was inducted into the University of Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame earlier this year. The three-time NTCA Bowler of the Year helped the Huskers to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2004-05.
Big Shoes to Fill
Lizabeth Kuhlkin, a senior in 2014-15, departed the Nebraska program as one of the best bowlers in Husker history. The 2015 NTCA Bowler of the Year and three-time NTCA All-American is second in Nebraska history with a 210.9 career average.
Looking Ahead
The Huskers will take a few weeks off and head to Houston for the Track Kat Klash Dec. 4-6. The Huskers won the tournament a year ago, hosted by 2014 NCAA champion Sam Houston State. The Huskers have finished in the top five each of the last five years.
Last Time Out: Huskers Finish Third at Crusader Classic
The Nebraska bowling team finished a successful weekend at the Crusader Classic in Valparaiso, Ind., as the top-ranked Cornhuskers bowled their way to a third-place finish in a loaded 14-team field. NU went 2-1 in Sunday’s best-of-seven Baker Format championship tournament, including a pair of wins over No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater
The Huskers finished the weekend with an 8-5 record and a 192.1 average. In all, 11 out of 14 teams in the tournament were ranked in the preseason NTCA top-25 poll.
No. 9 McKendree defeated No. 5 Vanderbilt in the championship match, 4-3. The Bearcats finished the tournament with an 11-2 record and a 198.1 average.
Nebraska began the championship tournament as the fourth seed and faced Wisconsin-Whitewater in the first round. A back-and-forth match saw the teams tied at two following the fourth game, but the Huskers closed with two straight wins to take the match 4-2.
NU then advanced to face Vanderbilt, which had lost to McKendree in the first round. The Commodores roared out of the gates to a 3-1 lead, but the Huskers rebounded with two straight wins to force a decisive seventh game. The comeback effort was not enough, as Vanderbilt took the game, 168-162, and the match, 4-3.
In the third-place match, Nebraska again faced off with Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Warhawks were no match for the Huskers, as NU wrapped up third place with a 4-0 win.
Junior Gazmine Mason finished atop the individual standings with a 223.8 average. The victory is the second of her career after winning the individual portion of the Music City Classic a year ago. Senior Melanie Crawford finished 10th with a 201 average, and sophomore Julia Bond finished 12th with a 200.6 average.
The Huskers, who won the Crusader Classic last year, have now finished in the top three of the tournament each of the last six years.
Big Red Invitational Format and Schedule
Thursday, November 12, 2015
4:00 pm Check-in and Coaches’ Meeting (Sun Valley Lanes)
5:00 pm Introductions/12 minutes open practice
5:25 pm National Anthem/10 minutes on starting pair
5:45 pm Four Five game Baker matches
Friday, November 13, 2015
8:30 am Open practice/12 minutes
8:45 am Practice on starting pair
9:00 am Three traditional team game matches
12:00 pm Break for Lunch
1:00 pm Open practice /12 minutes
1:15 pm Practice on starting pair
1:25 pm Three traditional team game matches
5:00 pm Bowling Complete for the day
Saturday, November 14, 2015
7:30 am Open practice/12 minutes
7:45 am Practice on starting pair
7:55 am Four traditional team games
12:30 pm Awards ceremony
Each day will be a separate tournament.
NCAA playing rules apply
Host Bowling Center
Sun Valley Lanes
321 Victory Lane
Lincoln, NE 68528
402-475-3469