It seemed as nothing changed Sunday in Sam Houston State’s bowling success from last season’s NCAA National Championship.
The Bearkats captured their first piece of hardware this season at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic hosted by Tulane in Kenner, La.
After a perfect first two days without a loss for the Bearkats, Sunday started off rough with a loss to Stephen F. Austin State in four games. Without looking back, SHSU defeated No. 4 Vanderbilt in six games to move on to the finals, forcing a rematch with rival SFA.
The Lumberjacks had victory in their grasps with a gigantic three-game lead until the Bearkats stood tall and made it interesting. While down 3-0 with their backs against the wall, the championship experience of the Bearkats shined through with a four-game comeback win to take the title.
The Bearkats averaged fewer than 200 pins per game and only one loss throughout the Classic. Redshirt sophomore Janine Kuwahara posted the highest pin average at 208 per traditional game with freshman Heather Penatzer rounding out the top five bowlers for SHSU at 190.5.
SHSU will have a week off before heading to New Jersey for the Farleigh Dickinson Jamboree. The tournament starts Oct. 31 and continues through the weekend in Hackensack, NJ.