INDIANAPOLIS – The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's bowling team has been selected as one of eight teams to compete at the 2013 NCAA National Championship tournament April 11-13 at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Mich. The tournament field was announced by the NCAA in a selection show broadcast on Wednesday, March 27.
“I am so proud of this team,” Head Coach Mike LoPresti said. “Now we have a new life and a second season. We went through a lot of transitions this year with a combination of a few veterans and a lot of new players. We're so happy to extend the season because we have made so many improvements, and now we get to put it all together on the nation's biggest stage.”
The Knights enter the national championship tournament with an overall record of 73-36 through the 2012-13 campaign. FDU earned its third consecutive Northeast Conference regular season championship with a conference record of 19-8 but fell short at last weekend's NEC Championship tournament.
2013 marks the Knights' ninth appearance at the NCAA Championships in the tournament's 10-year existence. FDU has reached the final four in each of its nine appearances. The team has also played in the national championship match on three occasions, including last year's 4-2 loss to UMES and national championship wins in 2006 and 2010.
Three-time NCAA national champion and defending champion, UMES, will join the Knights in the field of eight, while National Tenpin Coaches' Association No.1 and another three-time winner, Nebraska, will also compete for the title.
Tournament regulars, Arkansas State, Central Missouri and Vanderbilt will look to return to the televised national championship match, while Sam Houston State returns for its second appearance in three years and Wisconsin-Whitewater makes its debut at the tournament.
The Knights will use a stellar group of individuals to help them vie for the national championship.
Senior Danielle McEwan (Stony Point, NY/Stony Point) was recently named the NEC Bowler of the Year for the third consecutive year. The Stony Point, N.Y. native also earned a position on the All-NEC First Team for the fourth consecutive year. She is the first bowler in the history of the NEC to accomplish such a feat. At last year's NCAA Tournament, McEwan was named the NTCA Division I Bowler of the Year.
“This year was a lot more stressful than previous years, to have to sit here and watch the show not knowing if we were selected,” said McEwan, who was the NCAA Tournament MVP as a freshman and will have competed at the tournament in each of her four years in Burgundy and Blue.
“Right now, this feels like the greatest feeling in the world,” McEwan said. “However, it's not enough for me just to make it, especially in my senior year, so I want to really work hard in the next couple of weeks and go into nationals with a different mindset and hopefully come out with a better outcome.”
Sophomore Liat Vizenfeld (Holon, Israel/Campus Kiryat Sharet) joined McEwan on the All-NEC First Team, while freshman Rebecca Fischer (Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate High School) was named the NEC Rookie of the Year for her performance during the first year of her collegiate career.
Seniors Jessica Wahler (Dunellen, NJ/Dunellen) and Brianna Carlo (Dumont, NJ/Dumont) will help guide the team with experience on the national stage.
Competition at the NCAA National Championship Tournament begins with a qualifying round on Thursday, April 11, in which each team bowls one traditional team game against each of the other seven teams participating. Teams will be seeded for bracket play based on their win-loss record during the qualifying rounds. Teams will then compete in best-of-seven Baker matches in a double elimination tournament on Friday, April 12
This year's championship final will air on ESPNU at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, April 13. A replay of the championship finals will air on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, April 14.
