March 20, 2022 Nolan Hughes

The final event of the Guaranteed Rate PBA World Series of Bowling XIII pitted the elite of men’s collegiate bowling against one another. The top four ranked teams in the USBC collegiate bowling rankings were invited to showcase college bowling under the PBA brand, with Wichita State University prevailing as the first ever PBA Collegiate Invitational presented by Storm champions.

Wichita State, the defending Intercollegiate Team Championships national champions, concluded the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country. They faced off with another college bowling blue blood in Webber International University, who finished the regular season fourth in the rankings.

St. Ambrose University, who lost to Wichita State in last year’s ITC finals, earned the No. 2 seed, and squared off with the Savannah College of Art and Design, based in Savannah, Georgia. The first round of the PBA Collegiate Invitational consisted of a single-game Baker match. Then, the winners competed in a Race to Two for the title. Though no national championship was on the line, players and coaches embraced the unique setting and opportunity to display their school on a national stage.

In the opening match, Wichita State’s experience proved vital as they adapted to the environment. They defeated Webber International, 221-219, to advance to the finals.

In the battle of the bees, SCAD-Savannah took down St. Ambrose 242-214. Both teams made a point to express their fervent personalities. SCAD-Savannah’s hilarious chants, packed with inside jokes, captivated the crowd’s attention. Tyrell Ingalls, the anchor bowler for SCAD-Savannah said being themselves and having fun was the key to their success.

“It really improved our comfort because you noticed out the gate, we were all making shots,” Ingalls said. “You can't really do that if you're not relaxing and having fun. I think that was the key that we needed going into this.”

In the Race to Two finals, Wichita State stormed out of the gates with a 290. After junior TJ Rock converted a spare in the first, the Shockers fired the back 11 strikes to take 1-0 lead. Freshman Spencer Robarge was not a part of the Shockers’ title run last year, but he gained TV experience as a high schooler at the USBC Masters and the PBA Junior National Championship.

“It's been a few years since I bowled with fans,” Robarge said. “But the crowd was great. We obviously had a pretty fair idea of what we're doing on the lanes and good team chemistry made it a lot easier for us to string some strikes.”

The Shockers kept their foot on the gas, winning the second game and the tournament, 231-159. Senior Alec Keplinger says the win, “Shows us that we know we can do it. We already knew it ourselves, but we came out here and proved it again. So many people want to come after us even more but we're ready.”

Katie Thornton, SCAD-Savannah head coach and former WIU bowler, said bowling on TV served as a great experience for her team.

“Just being able to throw a shot under the lights and knowing what it feels like. It’s a completely different feeling and environment,” she said. “It's great exposure for us as a young program. We haven't had the exposure that the other teams have had, so that was kind of our first chance at that as well.”

All four of these teams advanced to the ITC national championships next month in Addison, Illinois, where the top 16 men’s and women’s teams will compete for a national championship.

MATCH SCORES

Semifinal: No. 1 Wichita State def. No. 4 Webber, 221-219
Semifinal: No. 3 SCAD-Savannah def. No. 2 St. Ambrose, 242-214
Championship (race to two points): No. 1 Wichita State def. No. 3 SCAD, 290-201, 231-159