Smyrna, TN – Bears women's bowling punched their ticket to the USBC ITC Nationals in Addison, Illinois following a fourth-place performance in the ITC Sectional event in Smyrna over the weekend.

The event, which consisted of 64 team games through two days, saw the Bears face the top 15 institutions in the country. UPIKE knocked down 11920 pins finishing just 36 pins behind third place finisher Mt. Saint Mary's University.

The Bears entered the final 15 games in fifth place, but would jump North Carolina A&T during the stretch to secure the fourth spot and earn their spot in the national bracket. In the final 10 games, the Bears topped 200 pins in six games. Cumberlands and Campbellsville represented the Mid-South Conference as well in the tournament, finishing 11^th and 13^th, respectively.

2020-21 saw the Bears come close but fall short of qualifying for the USBC National Championships, with this season being their first trip back since 2019 when the Bears made it through five rounds of play.

The 2021-22 USBC ITC Nationals run from April 20^th-24^th at Stardust Bowl in Addison, Ill. The top four teams from each sectional are taken, creating a 16-team final.