Huskers Ready for NCAA Bowling Championship

#1 Nebraska Cornhuskers at NCAA Bowling Championship

Thursday-Saturday, April 13-15 – 12:50 p.m., 10:50 a.m., 8:30 a.m. (CT) – Baton Rouge, La. (River Center Baton Rouge)

Championship Final: April 15 - 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU and Watch ESPN)

Qualifying and Bracket Rounds Live Stream: NCAA.com

Huskers Ready for NCAA Bowling Championship
The top-seeded Nebraska bowling team has its sights set on a sixth NCAA title as it heads to Baton Rouge, La., for the 2017 National Collegiate Bowling Championship, this Thursday through Saturday at the Raising Cane’s River Center. The Cornhuskers have made the championship match in each of the last four seasons, winning the title in 2013 and 2015, in addition to championships in 2004, 2005 and 2009.

The tournament will feature the nation’s top eight teams, including McKendree, Arkansas State, Sam Houston State, Vanderbilt, Fairleigh Dickinson, Stephen F. Austin and Maryland Eastern Shore.

NU last competed over a month ago, finishing second at the Big Red Invitational at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln. The Huskers went 9-1 on the weekend, posting the fifth-best traditional average in program history with an average of 1079.4. Gazmine Mason led the way for the Big Red, finishing fifth overall and earning a spot on the all-tournament team with an average of 229.6. Nebraska’s only loss on the weekend was a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Arkansas State in the championship match.

Bond leads the Huskers with an average of 213.9 on the season, while Belzeski has an average of 201.7 and Mason has an average of 200.5.

Thursday’s action starts at 12:50 p.m. (CT), with Qualifying Round 1 where teams will play five traditional matches. Qualifying Round 2 will take place at 10:50 a.m. Friday as teams will finish up the round-robin session with two traditional matches. The bracket rounds will consist of best-of-seven Baker matches, with Bracket Round 1 set for 3:30 p.m. on Friday, and the second round to follow at 5:10 p.m. Rounds 3-5 will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, with the championship match at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday evening. The final will air live on ESPNU and Watch ESPN, while the Qualifying and Bracket rounds will be streamed live on NCAA.com. For a complete schedule of events, see page 4 of Nebraska's Tournament Notes.

NCAA Championship Notes
Nebraska is participating in the National Collegiate Bowling Championship for the 14th time, the only NCAA program to have qualified every season since the sport became sanctioned by the NCAA during the 2003-04 season. The Huskers have won the NCAA championship five times, in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2013 and most recently in 2015. The Huskers have made the championship match in each of the last four seasons, winning in 2013 and 2015, while taking second to Sam Houston State in 2014 and Stephen F. Austin in 2016. Julia Bond was the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Bowler as a freshman in 2015, as she finished with the second-highest team average of 225.6. Bond finished first overall in the individual standings last season, as she posted an average of 228.4. Gazmine Mason finished 10th in last season’s individual standings after firing an average of 212.7.

Nebraska Grabs Top Seed in NCAA Championship
The Huskers enter the NCAA Bowling Championship as the top seed for the third-consecutive season. Nebraska’s regular-season NCAA RPI of 0.652 led the nation, as did its opponent strength of schedule (0.573). NU’s win-loss percentage of 0.802 and strength of schedule of 0.616 were second in the nation.

NU Reclaims Top Spot in NTCA Poll
Nebraska took over the top spot in the March NTCA poll, the third poll of five this season in which the Big Red were ranked No. 1. NU received 30 out of a possible 35 first-place votes, racking up 1,306 total points in the poll. McKendree dropped one spot to second, while Arkansas State, Sam Houston State and Vanderbilt held steady in spots three through five to round out the top five.

Morris Honored at “A Night at the Lied”
Nebraska redshirt freshman Allison Morris was honored with a Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award at Nebraska’s student-athlete awards ceremony, “A Night at the Lied,” on Sunday. The award is named in honor of late former Husker punter Sam Foltz and presented to 27 student-athletes across all Nebraska’s sports that exhibit strong leadership qualities, commitment to service and ability to encourage/empower peers. All 11 members of the Nebraska bowling team were selected to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for their work in the community.

Huskers Finish Second at Big Red Invitational
Nebraska finished second at its only home tournament of the season its last time out, falling to Arkansas State in seven games in the championship match at the Big Red Invitational the weekend of March 2-4. Gazmine Mason led the Huskers with an average of 229.6, as she finished fifth overall. Meghan Straub (7th-224), Julia Bond (9th-218.6) and Kelly Belzeski (10th-213.6) joined Mason in the top 10. NU’s only loss on the weekend came in the championship match, and the Big Red posted the fifth-highest traditional average in program history with an average of 1,079.4.

Belzeski Leads Huskers to Mid-America Invite Title
Nebraska won its fourth tournament title of the season the weekend of Feb. 24-25 at the Central Missouri Mid-America Invitational. The Huskers went 9-1 on the weekend, with the only loss by one pin to No. 11 Central Missouri. NU posted a total pinfall of 10,450 on the weekend, led by Kelly Belzeski who won her first tournament title with an average of 226.6. Julia Bond finished second overall with an average of 226.4, while Meghan Straub rounded out an NU sweep of top three with an average of 200.

Huskers, Bond Take First Place at Crusader Classic
Nebraska won its third tournament in four tries at the Crusader Classic the weekend of Feb. 17-19, finishing 12-0 and taking down No. 2 Arkansas State in the championship match at Lakewood Bowl in Richton Park, Ill. Julia Bond finished first in the overall standings with a strong 220 average, earning her first tournament victory of the season and the fourth of her career. Kelly Belzeski earned her first top-10 finish, finishing sixth with an average of 212.5. Briana Zabierek joined them in the top-10, finishing ninth overall with an average of 205.

Huskers Take Second at SFA Stormin’ Ladyjack Invitational
Nebraska closed a solid weekend at the SFA Stormin’ Ladyjack Invitational in Houston with a second-place finish and a 10-3 overall record the weekend of Feb. 10-12. Each of the three Husker losses on the weekend came at the hands of McKendree, including a 4-1 defeat in the championship match. Julia Bond posted her highest average of the season and the fourth-highest of her career with a dazzling 228 to finish second overall, while Gazmine Mason joined her in the top five, finishing fifth with an average of 219.

NU Wins Fifth-Consecutive Prairie View Invitational Crown
For the fifth year in a row, Nebraska left the Prairie View Invitational as tournament champions, winning the loaded invitational the weekend of Jan. 27-29 at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas. NU went 11-2 on the weekend, defeating 10 ranked teams along the way. The Huskers swept Vanderbilt in the championship match to claim the title. Gazmine Mason led the way for the Huskers, finishing eighth overall with an average of 202.7.

Huskers Win Mid-Winter Invitational Title
Nebraska picked up its first tournament title of the season, winning the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark., the weekend of Jan. 13-15. NU went 9-2 on the weekend, defeating six ranked teams in the process. The Mid-Winter Invitational field featured 10 ranked teams, including eight of the top-10 teams in the nation. Nebraska defeated McKendree in the opening round of the championship tournament, and then took down the Bearcats again in the final, 4-2. Meghan Straub paced the Huskers with an average of 210 to finish second overall, while Julia Bond was right behind with an average of 209.6 for a third-place finish.

Bond Wins U.S. Amateur Championship, Named to Team USA
Julia Bond was crowned United States Amateur Bowling Champion and was named to Team USA for the 2017 season after winning the women’s U.S. Amateur final at the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials the week of Jan. 4-8 in Henderson, Nev. Bond finished fourth overall at the trials with 54 ranking points. Kayla Johnson, a Husker from 2010-2012, was also named to Team USA for the 2017 season by the National Selection Committee based on her performances throughout the week, while Shannon Pluhowsky, who competed for Nebraska from 2000-05, was selected by the National Selection Committee based on her submitted resume. Husker senior Gazmine Mason and junior Kelly Belzeski also competed at the trials.

Back to Back
Nebraska won back-to-back tournaments in January, finishing first at both the Mid-Winter Invitational (Jan. 13-15) and the Prairie View Invitational (Jan. 27-29). The back-to-back wins were the first for Nebraska since winning the Big Red Invitational and the TRACK Kat Klash in November and December of 2015. NU also won back-to-back tournaments with wins at the Crusader Classic (Feb. 17-19) and the Central Missouri Mid-America Invitational (Feb. 24-25). The latest back-to-back wins mark the 24th time in school history that NU has won multiple tournaments in a row. The program record is 13 tournament wins in a row, stretching from the 2004-05 season to the 2005-06 season.

NU Notches Third-Place Finish at Warhawk Invitational
Nebraska ended the 2016 calendar year with a third-place finish the weekend of Nov. 11-13 at the Warhawk Invitational in Kenosha, Wis. The Huskers went 9-3 on the weekend, defeating six ranked teams. NU entered the final day as the third seed, but was swept in the opening round of the championship tournament by Vanderbilt. The Huskers rebounded with a win over Sacred Heart to reach the third-place match, where the Big Red took down Vanderbilt in seven games. Meghan Straub led the Huskers with a 209.6 average, while Julia Bond posted a 209.2 average and Briana Zabierek added a 200 average.

Huskers Finish Second at KAT Klash
Nebraska posted a strong second-place finish at the KAT Klash the weekend of Nov. 4-6 at Emerald Lanes in Houston. NU went 9-1 over the first two days of competition, leading the tournament heading into the final day. The Huskers dropped their opening round match in the championship tournament, but rebounded with a win over Vanderbilt to reach the final. Sam Houston State defeated the Huskers by a score of 4.5-1.5 to win the title. NU went 10-3 overall during the tournament, defeating eight ranked teams. Gazmine Mason posted a 206.2 average to lead the Big Red.

Huskers Open Season with Fifth-Place Finish
Nebraska opened its season with a fifth-place finish at the Wildcat Invitational at Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the weekend of Oct. 21-23. NU defeated Monmouth in the fifth-place match, one of three ranked teams the Huskers took down on the weekend. NU went 6-6 overall during the tournament.

Huskers Gain International Experience in 2016
Gazmine Mason and Julia Bond were selected to Junior Team USA for the 2016 season. Bond and Mason represented the United States at the 2016 World Bowling Youth Championships, held July 24-August 3 at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln. Freshman Raquel Orozco also competed at the tournament for her native Mexico. Mason earned gold medals in singles and all-events, silver in doubles and team-of-four and bronze in masters, while Bond earned silver medals in doubles and team-of-four and bronze in singles.

National Collegiate Bowling Championship - Teams Competing
1. Nebraska
2. McKendree
3. Arkansas State
4. Sam Houston State
5. Vanderbilt
6. Fairleigh Dickinson
7. Stephen F. Austin
8. Maryland Eastern Shore