SMYRNA, Tenn. – The North Carolina A&T bowling team finished in fifth place after the final day of competition at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Sectionals on Sunday. As a result, the Aggies narrowly missed qualifying for nationals needing to finish in the top four. 

A&T began the day in third place and sustained that position through the third block of baker matches. The Aggies bowled over 2,904 pins through the initial 16 games Sunday, beginning with a 172 in Game 33.  

A&T utilized five 200-plus games in the third block, including a string of three-straight to end it, to maintain their third-place status. As a result, the Aggies positioned themselves for potential national qualification heading into the final block. 

In the fourth block, however, things did not go as planned. A&T bowled six sub-170 games in that span, including a day-low 148 in the 54th game. 

Even after that, they found themselves in fourth place, heading into the 64th and final game of the weekend. The Aggies, however, bowled a 153 while the University of Pikeville turned in a 236 to jump A&T and claim the fourth national-qualifying spot. 

A&T finished just 36 pins shy of qualifying, while SCAD – Savannah claimed first place with 12,121 total pins for the tournament.