EAST GREENSBORO – The latest National Tenpin Coaches Association poll is out for February, with the North Carolina A&T bowling team dropping from No. 2 in the country to No. 6 as they prepare for the James Brown Invitational (JBI) hosted by the Morgan State Bears, Friday-Sunday.
The play began Friday at 10 a.m. The teams start on Saturday at 10 a.m. before concluding the tournament Sunday at 8:25 a.m. The Aggies ended the fall semester on a hot streak, winning their final three tournaments. They started the New Year 40-6 overall and were the second-ranked team in the nation, but over their first two tournaments, they went a combined 11-15.
The top-5 teams ahead of A&T are top-ranked McKendree, followed by Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Arkansas State and Stephen F. Austin. Youngstown State is ranked seventh, followed by Maryville, Sam Houston State and Maryland Eastern Shore in the top-10. McKendree received 30 of the 39 first-place votes to tally 1,530 points. Vanderbilt received the other nine and totaled 1,453 points.
THE WEEKEND
A&T comes in at 51-21 overall after going 6-7 last weekend at the Prairie View A&M Invitational. However, the Aggies got hot during bracket play to finish fifth by knocking off two top-10 teams in Youngstown State and Sam Houston State. Graduate Katie Robb finished second overall with a total pin count of 1,316 for a 219.33 six-game average.
The Aggies are the defending JBI champions, winning the tournament last season by going 9-3 overall. Lauren Tomaszewski earned second-team all-tournament honors.
Formerly known as the MSU Bowling Tournament, it was renamed the James Brown Invitational in 2012 after Morgan State's first head bowling coach. The tournament had a four-year hiatus until it returned in 2017. Unfortunately, the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
THE TEAMS
Mount St. Mary's, Morgan State (hosts), North Carolina A&T, Medaille, Maryland Eastern Shore, Saint Francis U, Coppin State, Bryant, Felician, Alabama A&M, Fayetteville State, and Howard. In addition to host Morgan State's No. 24 ranking and A&T's No. 6 ranking, four more teams are ranked going into this weekend's JBI. Seven teams are HBCUs.
THE FORMAT
This weekend's games are divided between five Baker games Friday, five traditional games Saturday, and three traditional games Sunday before starting a bracket round. That round will be a best of seven Baker.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Aggies will play host to their next two tournaments. First, the Aggies will host the second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC Meet # 2), Feb. 18-19, at Triad Lanes on 21 Oak Branch Road in Greensboro. They will then host the annual NCATSU Stallings Invitational. It will be hosted at AMF Lanes on 910 S. Holden Rd., Greensboro.
