Straub Honored, Four Huskers Receive All-American Honors

Nebraska Head Coach Bill Straub was voted National Tenpin Coaches Association Division I Coach of the Year, while Julia Bond and Raquel Orozco were named first-team All-Americans and Kelly Belzeski and Meghan Straub earned third-team honors, as the NTCA announced its All-America teams at the NCAA Bowling Awards Dinner on Wednesday.

 

Bill Straub, who is in his 21st season at the helm of the program, earns the Coach of the Year award for a fourth time, having previously won in 2005, 2013 and 2017. He has led NU to a head-to-head record of 98-12 on the season, including six tournament titles and two second-place finishes in nine tournaments. Straub has guided NU to five NCAA titles and a total of 10 national championships during his tenure at Nebraska.

 

Bond, a junior from Aurora, Ill., is an All-American for the fourth time and a member of the first-team for the third year in a row. She ended the regular season with an average of 212, and has a career average of 210.125, which ranks third all-time at Nebraska. Bond holds the tenth-highest single tournament average in program history after bowling a 234.8 at the Warhawk Invitational. She also qualified for a spot on Team USA for the 2018 season after being selected by the National Selection Committee based on her performance at the Team USA Trials. Bond also secured a spot at the Intercollegiate Singles Championships after finishing in third place at the Sectional Qualifier in Fairview Heights, Ill.

 

Bond becomes the eighth four-time All-American in program history, joining Shannon Pluhowsky, Kim (Burke) Straub, Andrea Ridgy, Jennifer Daugherty, Amanda Burgoyne, Lindsay Baker, and Cassandra Leuthold.

 

Orozco, a sophomore from Tijuana, Mexico, earns All-America honors for the first time. Orozco ended the regular season with an average of 211.8, the third-highest average on the team. She earned a spot on the all-tournament team at four of Nebraska’s nine tournaments, including the Track Kat Klash, Mid-Winter Invitational, the Central Missouri Women’s Invitational, and the Big Red Invitational.

Belzeski, a senior from Schererville, Ind., earns All-America honors for the second-consecutive season, as she has led the Huskers this season with an average of 212.7. Belzeski qualified for a spot on the Intercollegiate Team Championships after finishing in sixth place at the Sectional Qualifier in Fairview Heights, Ill.

Meghan Straub, the daughter of Nebraska head coach Bill and 1992 National Collegiate Bowler of the Year Kim (Berke) Straub, also earns All-America accolades for the second time. Meghan, who is averaging a score 206.8 on the season, joins her mother in earning multiple All-America accolades, as Kim was a four-time All-American for Nebraska from 1989-1992.

 The four total All-America awards give Nebraska a combined 69 All-America honors, won by 32 bowlers. NU continues its streak of having at least one All-American in every season since 1989.

The NTCA National Statistical Leader Awards Program, a new program open to NTCA member schools that honors individual and team season-long accomplishments, recognized Belzeski as the top-player in Individual Single Pin Conversion (96.5%) and Individual Overall Spare Conversion (78.7%). Nebraska was credited for the highest Team Win-Loss Percentage (88.89%, 96-12), Team Baker Double Percentage (50.31%), and Team Traditional Frame Average Nebraska (20.781). 

  The 2018 NCAA Championship begins Thursday at 9 a.m., and runs through Saturday. The format of the 2018 championship bracket is double elimination style with each round consisting of a best-of-three match that includes the use of three team game formats- baker total pinfall, five-person team match, and a best-of-seven baker match play. The final will air live on ESPNU and Watch ESPN, while the Qualifying and Bracket rounds will be streamed live on NCAA.com.