Mustang men, women qualify for nationals

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The Mount Mercy men's and women's bowling teams are headed to Las Vegas next month after qualifying for the Intercollegiate Team Championships this weekend at Stardust Bowl.

It's the third consecutive nationals appearance for both squads. The top-ranked Mount Mercy women led the 17-team field in Addison at the halfway point, then finished runner-up to Webber International. The Warriors and Mustangs distanced themselves from the field, with Webber finishing with a total pinfall of 12,693 compared to 12,627 for Mount Mercy. Louisiana Tech (12,489) and Maryville (12,243) also qualified from the Addison sectional.

Webber International and Mount Mercy also took the top two spots on the men's side. The Mustang men were third after 32 Baker games, then slid up a spot to place second with 13,176 pins over 64 games. The Warriors cruised to first place with a total pinfall of 13,835.

Mount Mercy's Brett Lloyd (1,274 pins) and Kai Evans (1,287) finished in the top eight during Friday's Intercollegiate Singles Sectional Qualifier to make the ISC National Championships in Vegas. They are just the second and third men's national qualifiers in school history.

The ISC and ITC national championships will be contested April 19-22 at South Point Bowling Plaza Intercollegiate Team Championships.