Louisville, Ky. – The UPIKE women's bowling team was crowned 2022-23 Mid-South Conference Regular Season Champions following performances at a pair of MSC tournaments over the weekend. The Bears took third at the Lynne Jordan Memorial on Saturday before claiming a win at the Thomas N. Burris Memorial on Sunday.

The regular season title is the ninth in program history and comes as the Bears wrap up the MSC schedule with a 52-3 record in conference events. The Bears topped runner-up UT-Southern (51-4) and third place Cumberlands (46-9).

Lynne Jordan Memorial
Varsity: 3^rd of 22 | JV1: 2^nd of 5 | JV2: 1^st of 5

The first of two tournaments held at Kingpin Lanes was the Lynne Jordan Memorial which featured 22 teams. The competition consisted of five team games followed by 12 baker games. UPIKE totaled 7,342 pins to take third overall while SCAD-Savannah took first and St. Francis took third.

The Bears opened team play with a 1,113 pin total, which was the second-highest in game one. After five games, the Bears stood in third with 4,939 pins. In baker play, the Bears knocked down 2,403 pins.

Two from the varsity unit claimed all-tournament honors, led by Emily Tull who finished third with 1,073 pins. Tull totaled 200 or more in four of five games, averaging 214.6 pins per game. The top-five finish is her third of the season.

Finishing fifth with 1,063 pins was freshman Brianna Rogers, who claims her fourth all-tournament award of the season. Rogers bowled her highest score of 234 in game one and averaged 212.6 pins per game.

Stephanie Crider finished 10^th with 1,019 pins, averaging 203.8.

Thomas N. Burris Memorial
Varsity: 1^st of 22 | JV1: 2^nd of 5 | JV2: 1^st of 5

The best performance of the weekend came on Sunday which saw the Bears claim their sixth tournament title of the season. UPIKE totaled 7,552 pins, besting runner-up SCAD-Savannah by 63 pins.

Team play saw the Bears get off to a slow start, sitting in fifth after two team games with 2,006 pins. In game three the Bears knocked down 1,109 pins, jumping four spots to lead the tournament.
Despite SCAD-Savannah close behind, the Bears stayed ahead through the final team games to take a 174 pin lead into baker play.

It was a close battle in baker play, and after eight games SCAD-Savannah had taken a 37 pin lead with just four games to go. UPIKE outscored SCAD in three of the final four games to secure the tournament victory.

Kristina Catoe earned the individual tournament win out of 179 bowlers, totaling 1,136 pins. The junior averaged 227.2 pins per game with her top game coming in at 259. Catoe finished 17 pins ahead of the runner-up claiming her first win of the season and sixth all-tournament distinction.

Rogers notched back-to-back top five performances, placing fourth on Sunday. Rogers totaled 1095 pins, averaging 219 pins per game with her best being a 257 in game one.
Also inside the top-ten was Vanessa Fuzie of the Bears JV2 unit. Fuzie claimed eighth with 1,059 pins, leading UPIKE's JV2 unit to a first-place finish in the JV section of the event.

UPIKE women's bowling currently sits atop the USBC Power Rankings as the number one team in the country for the first time in program history. The Bears have finished top-five in 11 of 12 tournaments this season.

The Bears look to add MSC Tournament Champions to their list of accolades this season as they gear up for the MSC Championships which begin February 9^th at Southern Lanes in Bowling Green, Ky.