Huskers Head to Wisconsin for Warhawk Invitational

Nebraska Cornhuskers (69-26)
at Warhawk Invitational

Friday-Sunday, February 19-21, 11 a.m., 8:35 a.m., 8:30 a.m. – Kenosha, Wis (Sheridan Lanes)

Huskers Head to Wisconsin for Warhawk Invitational
The second-ranked Nebraska bowling team travels to Wisconsin this weekend for the Warhawk Invitational, held Friday through Sunday at Sheridan Lanes in Kenosha, Wis. The tournament is hosted by No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Cornhuskers (69-26) have not competed at a tournament hosted by Wisconsin-Whitewater since 2008, when they won the Warhawk Classic championship. NU also competed at tournaments hosted by UWW in 2003, 2004 and 2007. Shannon Pluhowsky’s Nebraska record for single-tournament average of 254 came at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational on Nov. 9, 2003.

Ten teams will compete this weekend in Wisconsin, with each ranked in the latest NTCA Top 25 Coaches poll. Five of the teams competing are ranked in the top 10, including Nebraska, Wisconsin-Whitewater, No. 5 Central Missouri, No. 6 McKendree and No. 8 Stephen F. Austin. The list of teams competing also includes No. 12 St. Francis (Pa.), No. 17 Valparaiso, No. 20 Adelphi, No. 21 Tulane and No. 25 Elmhurst.

NU wrapped up a solid tournament last Friday through Sunday at the SFA Stormin’ Ladyjack Classic, defeating top-ranked Arkansas State in the third-place match to cap the weekend. The Huskers went 11-3 over the three days, defeating nine ranked teams in the process.

Texas native Melanie Crawford led the Huskers in the individual standings at the Stormin’ Ladyjack Classic, finishing fourth overall with an average of 217.8. Briana Zabierek also earned a spot on the all-tournament team, finishing fifth overall with an average of 217.2. Julia Bond finished 14th overall with an average of 205.7, while Gazmine Mason contributed a 196.5 average to help the Big Red.

Competition begins Friday at 11 a.m., with teams playing five sets of five-game Baker matches, followed by five traditional matches Saturday, beginning at 8:35 a.m. Friday and Saturday’s combined results will determine the seeding for Sunday’s bracket-play tournament to determine a champion, consisting of three best-of-seven Baker format matches, with play set to begin at 8:30 a.m.

The Opening Frame

Crawford Leads the Big Red
Melanie Crawford finished with a 217.8 average at the SFA Stormin’ Ladyjack Classic last Friday through Sunday, good for fourth overall. The Texas native scored a season-high average and earned her first top-five finish at Nebraska last weekend. Crawford was a member of the Stephen F. Austin bowling team from 2012-2014 and earned third-team NTCA All-America honors for the Ladyjacks in 2014.

New Rankings
The National Tenpin Coaches Association released a new Top 25 poll last Friday. The top four teams in the country remained unchanged, with Arkansas State retaining the top spot while Nebraska and Vanderbilt are close behind. Sam Houston State held steady in fourth, while Central Missouri, which was tied for fourth, dropped to fifth.

Team USA
Two current members of the Nebraska bowling team and two Husker alumni were named members of Team USA 2016 at the 2016 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials held Jan. 3-7. Junior Gazmine Mason and sophomore Julia Bond were selected to Junior Team USA 2016. Mason earned a spot based on her performance at the trials after she finished 19th overall among 109 competitors and seventh among competitors in her age group. Bond had already earned a spot on Junior Team USA 2016 based on her performance at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships. Bond finished 24th overall and 10th among competitors in her age group. Shannon Pluhowsky, a Husker from 2001-2005, finished fifth overall and was named to the team based on her performance at the trials. Kayla Johnson, a Husker from 2009-2012, earned a spot from the National Selection Committee based on a submitted resume.

Making History
Nebraska finished with a weekend pinfall of 14,494 at the Big Red Invitational Nov. 12-14, second-most in program history. The Huskers’ highest single-tournament pinfall occurred nearly eight years before on Nov. 16-18, 2007, when they scored a 14,968 pinfall at the Maverick Challenge.

Warhawk Invitational - Teams Competing
Nebraska
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Adelphi
Central Missouri
Elmhurst
McKendree
St. Francis (Pa.)
Stephen F. Austin
Tulane
Valparaiso

From the Archives: Huskers Turn in Record-Setting Effort
2003 Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational - Nebraska finishes 1st/3
Nov. 9, 2003
Whitewater, Wis. - Led by a record-setting performance by junior Shannon Pluhowsky, the Nebraska bowling team recorded its second straight tournament title by winning the Wisconsin-Whitewater Invitational.

Pluhowsky, a Phoenix, Ariz., native, rolled an astonishing 10-game total of 2,540 - an average of 254 - to place first for the second straight tournament and win her eighth career collegiate title. According to Nebraska Coach Bill Straub, it marked the first time in college bowling history that a female bowler had averaged a 250 or better in a college bowling tournament. Pluhowsky’s mark still stands as Nebraska’s record for single-tournament average.

“Shannon had an incredible weekend,” Straub said.

Pluhowsky was one of three Huskers to turn in solid performances over the weekend, as sophomore Jamie Martin (Omaha, Neb.) was second on the squad with a 216 average, while sophomore Jennifer Schultz (Portland, Ore.) also averaged better than 200 on the weekend.

Nebraska won the tournament with an 8-2 record over two days of competition, easily topping defending IBC National Champion Central Missouri State, which finished with a 4-6 record while the host Warhawks were third with a 2-8 mark.

With the NCAA Championships approaching quickly, Nebraska assistant coach Paul Klempa felt the Huskers used the tournament as a learning experience.

“We had some shots in the last match that were the difference,” Klempa said. “The team realizes when they are in April, in order for them to get where they want to go, they need to hit the shots. They are a good team and I feel really confident they can build from this weekend.”

Looking Ahead
The Huskers will take nearly a month off and return to action March 18-20 at the Columbia 300 Music City Classic in Smyrna, Tenn. The tournament is hosted by Vanderbilt, which is ranked No. 3 in the nation. The Huskers have competed at the Music City Classic in each of the last seven years, winning three times while finishing no lower than fifth. NU also won the tournament in 2007. Gazmine Mason won MVP honors at last season’s Music City Classic, finishing with a 230 average.