Lindenwood claims men's ITC title

RENO, Nev. - Lindenwood powered its way to the men's collegiate national title as it won the 2014 XBowling Intercollegiate Team Championships.

The Lions swept Urbana, 3-0, to claim the Kerm Helmer Cup for the first time since 2005. The championship match aired nationally on CBS Sports Network.

The Lindenwood men edged out the first two games against Urbana in the 10th frame, with victories of 204-202 and 200-195. In game three, Lindenwood got out to an early lead and never looked back in a 201-167 win as they claimed their second ITC title.

"Getting through the first two games was all about covering our spares," Lindenwood senior Joey Petzoldt said. "It was a huge team effort on our part, and we bowled the best that we could, especially today. The feeling of being a national champion is unbelievable, especially in your senior year. We couldn't ask for anything else."

Lindenwood avoided mistakes on its way to its first men's ITC title since 2005, only opening two frames over the course of the finals. Several close calls in previous ITC appearances made the victory for Lindenwood extra special.

"It is sweeter the second time around," Lindenwood head coach Randy Lightfoot said. "We won in 2005, but since then we've been third four times. We were that close to making the TV show, so this is extra sweet. They're a really unselfish group who showed a lot of maturity and started coming around at the right time. I'm just so happy we could bring it back home."

Urbana's Graham Fach was named the tournament's most valuable player. Fach was joined on the men's all-tournament team by Perry Crowell of Midland, Darren Tang of San Jose State, Kyle Sherman of Lindenwood and 2014 ISC champion Francois Lavoie of Wichita State.

For more information on the XBowling Intercollegiate Team Championships, visit BOWL.com/ITC.

XBowling is the title sponsor of the collegiate national championships. XBowling is a first-of-its-kind bowling app that empowers bowlers to connect and compete using their smart phone or tablet devices while bowling within XBowling enabled centers locally, across the country and around the world.  The XBowling platform allows bowlers to enter challenges, view live scoring, and compete remotely while bowling.

Urbana 1 465
Urbana

Lindenwood 1 465
Lindenwood

Urbana 2 465
Urbana

Lindenwood 2 465
Lindenwood