ROCHESTER, N.Y. (4/6/23) – Set to make its 15th-straight appearance in the NCAA Bowling Championship, the Arkansas State women’s bowling team is set to face Sacred Heart Friday at 8 a.m. (CT) in the first match of the 2023 NCAA Collegiate Bowling Championship Rochester Regional. 

15TH STRAIGHT TRIP
A-State is making its 15th consecutive NCAA Bowling Championship appearance. The regional takes place at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes in Rochester, N.Y. 

TOURNAMENT DETAILS
The 2023 National Collegiate Bowling Championship is a double-elimination tournament using the Mega Match format (traditional team game, 5-game Baker set and, if the teams split those, a best-of-seven Baker series). Sessions begin at 8 a.m. (CT) and 2 p.m. (CT) daily.  

WATCH
All A-State matches will be streamed live via Roberts Wesleyan University Athletics website. Links can be found by viewing the A-State bowling schedule page on AStateRedWolves.com and the watch live link. 

17-TEAM FIELD
The NCAA began sponsoring bowling in 2004 with eight teams in the field. This is the first time the field has been 17 teams, which includes nine conference champions and eight at-large teams. 

REGIONALS
To accommodate the larger field, the NCAA broke the 17 teams into four regions, each with a No. 1 seed – as determined by the NCAA Selection Committee – and three others. One region has five teams with a single-elimination match. Each region will determine their champion and the finals will be a four-team bracket beginning Friday, April 14 at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

REGION OF CHAMPIONS
The Rochester regional is the only regional this season to feature four automatic qualifiers. A-State, champions of the Southland Bowling League, are the top seed in the region and the No. 3 seed overall. The Red Wolves are joined by Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T, Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference champion Medaille and Northeast Conference champion Sacred Heart. 

RED WOLVES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Red Wolves have appeared in 15 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including the last 13 under head coach Justin Kostick. A-State has finished second (2008, 2021), third (2010, 2013), fifth (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and seventh (2009, 2019). In the first season with regional play, A-State was runner-up in the Lansing regional last year.