Southern Nazarene men highlight group of 8 unbeaten teams at 2026 ITC
April 17, 2026
QUALIFYING
MEN'S BRACKET
WOMEN'S BRACKET
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Competition at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships began Thursday morning at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and by the end of opening day, eight programs – including first-time men’s national finalist Southern Nazarene University – remained unbeaten and in prime position to chase this year’s national titles.
The ITC serves as the finale to the 2026 USBC Collegiate season and brings together the top 16 men’s and top 16 women’s bowling teams from around the nation.
Each team rolled 24 Baker games Thursday morning to establish seeding for the double-elimination bracket, which consists of best-of-seven Baker matches leading up to the televised finals.
Those finals will be taped Saturday and broadcast on CBS Sports Network in May. The women’s ITC show is scheduled to air May 5 at 7 p.m. Eastern followed by the men’s ITC final on May 13 at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Topping the men’s qualifying standings was 2024 national champion Webber International, which posted 11 games of 200 or higher during the 24-game block on the demanding ITC men’s oil pattern. The Warriors closed qualifying with a 4,809 total (a 200.4 average).
Joining Webber International in the top five were Savannah College of Art and Design - Savannah (4,707), Milligan (4,694), 2025 runner-up Wichita State (4,673) and St. Ambrose (4,647).
However, of those five programs, only St. Ambrose managed to finish Day 1 with a 2-0 record and remain in the Winners Bracket.
The Fighting Bees opened match play with a 4-1 victory over No. 12 Marian-Wisconsin in Round 1 and then survived a tightly contested 4-3 decision against Wichita State in Round 2, handing the Shockers their first Day 1 ITC defeat since 2019.
While many inside The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley may have been surprised to see Wichita State drop into the Elimination Bracket, even more attention was drawn to Southern Nazarene. Competing in its first ITC national finals and finishing 16th in Thursday morning’s qualifying round, the Crimson Storm avoided the early exit some might have predicted.
Instead, Southern Nazarene stunned top-seeded Webber International, 4-3, in the opening round before defeating No. 9 McKendree, 4-1, in Round 2. That effort placed the Crimson Storm alongside St. Ambrose, Lawrence Tech and Mount Mercy as the only remaining unbeaten teams in the men’s division after the first day of competition.
Lawrence Tech secured its undefeated mark with matching 4-1 victories over St. Francis-Illinois and Trine in Rounds 1 and 2. Mount Mercy also advanced with a pair of 4-1 wins, first against Belmont Abbey and then against Milligan.
When Winners Bracket action resumes Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern, Southern Nazarene will meet St. Ambrose while Lawrence Tech faces Mount Mercy.
Southern Nazarene Head Coach Mark Jeffreys is pleased with where his team stands after Day 1 and hopes the momentum continues. Regardless of the outcome moving forward, however, he believes his players have already achieved something special.
“With only four teams remaining in the Winners Bracket, we have a chance to shock the world,” Jeffreys said. “If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, I could not be happier with these young kids on what they’ve accomplished, especially after finishing 16th during qualifying.”
The Crimson Storm’s resilience is nothing new. The team mounted a similar comeback in March just to earn its place at this year’s national event.
“A lot of people don’t realize it, but we were in dead last after 12 games at sectionals,” Jeffreys said. “During the first break, we talked about it, and then we worked our way up all the way back to second place heading into the very last game.
“The theme we’ve had this postseason is moving dirt. Before you build anything, you have to move dirt, and you’re constantly improving that plot of land that you’re building on. With this being our first trip to nationals, we’re moving dirt; we’re learning.”
Southern Nazarene’s rapid growth has been evident as the team now sits just two wins away from earning a berth in Saturday’s ITC men’s TV finals. Should the run continue, the Crimson Storm could become only the seventh team overall – and the first since Saginaw Valley State in 1991 – to capture an ITC title in its debut appearance.
On the women’s side Thursday, defending champion Jacksonville State led qualifying with a 24-game total of 4,799 (a 199.96 average), finishing 186 pins ahead of Louisiana Tech (4,613).
Mount Mercy (4,566), North Carolina A&T (4,521) and Sacred Heart (4,491) completed the women’s qualifying top five.
As was the case in the men’s division, the seeds did not entirely hold once bracket play began. Jacksonville State and North Carolina A&T were the only teams from the women’s top five to remain undefeated after Thursday’s match play.
The Gamecocks controlled their first two matches, compiling an 8-1 record in Baker games. They defeated No. 16 Maryville, 4-1, in Round 1 and followed with a 4-0 sweep of No. 9 Central Missouri in Round 2.
Jacksonville State’s next opponent will be No. 4 North Carolina A&T, which edged Savannah College of Art and Design – Savannah, 4-3, in Round 1 and then defeated fifth-seeded Sacred Heart, 4.5-1.5, in Round 2.
On the opposite side of the bracket, No. 10 Newman and No. 14 McKendree also posted 2-0 records.
Newman claimed two seven-game matches, first defeating No. 7 Cumberland, 4-3, in Round 1 and then overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat second seed Louisiana Tech by the same 4-3 margin in Round 2.
McKendree began its run with a 4-3 upset of third-seeded Mount Mercy before securing a 4-1 victory over No. 11 Tulane in the second round.
Both women’s Winners Bracket contests are slated for 2 p.m. Eastern on Friday.
Friday’s schedule at Ashwaubenon will begin with Elimination Bracket competition. The first round is set for 8:45 a.m. Eastern followed by another round of elimination matches at 10:45 a.m. Eastern.
Match play will continue throughout the day Friday until the finalists for Saturday’s championship matches are decided.
Teams qualified for the ITC in March by finishing among the top four at one of four sectional tournaments held across the country.
Live coverage of all qualifying and match-play rounds leading up to the televised finals is available at BowlTV.com.
CLICK HERE for additional information about the Intercollegiate Team Championships.
MEN'S BRACKET
WOMEN'S BRACKET
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Competition at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships began Thursday morning at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and by the end of opening day, eight programs – including first-time men’s national finalist Southern Nazarene University – remained unbeaten and in prime position to chase this year’s national titles.
The ITC serves as the finale to the 2026 USBC Collegiate season and brings together the top 16 men’s and top 16 women’s bowling teams from around the nation.
Each team rolled 24 Baker games Thursday morning to establish seeding for the double-elimination bracket, which consists of best-of-seven Baker matches leading up to the televised finals.
Those finals will be taped Saturday and broadcast on CBS Sports Network in May. The women’s ITC show is scheduled to air May 5 at 7 p.m. Eastern followed by the men’s ITC final on May 13 at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Topping the men’s qualifying standings was 2024 national champion Webber International, which posted 11 games of 200 or higher during the 24-game block on the demanding ITC men’s oil pattern. The Warriors closed qualifying with a 4,809 total (a 200.4 average).
Joining Webber International in the top five were Savannah College of Art and Design - Savannah (4,707), Milligan (4,694), 2025 runner-up Wichita State (4,673) and St. Ambrose (4,647).
However, of those five programs, only St. Ambrose managed to finish Day 1 with a 2-0 record and remain in the Winners Bracket.
The Fighting Bees opened match play with a 4-1 victory over No. 12 Marian-Wisconsin in Round 1 and then survived a tightly contested 4-3 decision against Wichita State in Round 2, handing the Shockers their first Day 1 ITC defeat since 2019.
While many inside The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley may have been surprised to see Wichita State drop into the Elimination Bracket, even more attention was drawn to Southern Nazarene. Competing in its first ITC national finals and finishing 16th in Thursday morning’s qualifying round, the Crimson Storm avoided the early exit some might have predicted.
Instead, Southern Nazarene stunned top-seeded Webber International, 4-3, in the opening round before defeating No. 9 McKendree, 4-1, in Round 2. That effort placed the Crimson Storm alongside St. Ambrose, Lawrence Tech and Mount Mercy as the only remaining unbeaten teams in the men’s division after the first day of competition.
Lawrence Tech secured its undefeated mark with matching 4-1 victories over St. Francis-Illinois and Trine in Rounds 1 and 2. Mount Mercy also advanced with a pair of 4-1 wins, first against Belmont Abbey and then against Milligan.
When Winners Bracket action resumes Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern, Southern Nazarene will meet St. Ambrose while Lawrence Tech faces Mount Mercy.
Southern Nazarene Head Coach Mark Jeffreys is pleased with where his team stands after Day 1 and hopes the momentum continues. Regardless of the outcome moving forward, however, he believes his players have already achieved something special.
“With only four teams remaining in the Winners Bracket, we have a chance to shock the world,” Jeffreys said. “If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, I could not be happier with these young kids on what they’ve accomplished, especially after finishing 16th during qualifying.”
The Crimson Storm’s resilience is nothing new. The team mounted a similar comeback in March just to earn its place at this year’s national event.
“A lot of people don’t realize it, but we were in dead last after 12 games at sectionals,” Jeffreys said. “During the first break, we talked about it, and then we worked our way up all the way back to second place heading into the very last game.
“The theme we’ve had this postseason is moving dirt. Before you build anything, you have to move dirt, and you’re constantly improving that plot of land that you’re building on. With this being our first trip to nationals, we’re moving dirt; we’re learning.”
Southern Nazarene’s rapid growth has been evident as the team now sits just two wins away from earning a berth in Saturday’s ITC men’s TV finals. Should the run continue, the Crimson Storm could become only the seventh team overall – and the first since Saginaw Valley State in 1991 – to capture an ITC title in its debut appearance.
On the women’s side Thursday, defending champion Jacksonville State led qualifying with a 24-game total of 4,799 (a 199.96 average), finishing 186 pins ahead of Louisiana Tech (4,613).
Mount Mercy (4,566), North Carolina A&T (4,521) and Sacred Heart (4,491) completed the women’s qualifying top five.
As was the case in the men’s division, the seeds did not entirely hold once bracket play began. Jacksonville State and North Carolina A&T were the only teams from the women’s top five to remain undefeated after Thursday’s match play.
The Gamecocks controlled their first two matches, compiling an 8-1 record in Baker games. They defeated No. 16 Maryville, 4-1, in Round 1 and followed with a 4-0 sweep of No. 9 Central Missouri in Round 2.
Jacksonville State’s next opponent will be No. 4 North Carolina A&T, which edged Savannah College of Art and Design – Savannah, 4-3, in Round 1 and then defeated fifth-seeded Sacred Heart, 4.5-1.5, in Round 2.
On the opposite side of the bracket, No. 10 Newman and No. 14 McKendree also posted 2-0 records.
Newman claimed two seven-game matches, first defeating No. 7 Cumberland, 4-3, in Round 1 and then overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat second seed Louisiana Tech by the same 4-3 margin in Round 2.
McKendree began its run with a 4-3 upset of third-seeded Mount Mercy before securing a 4-1 victory over No. 11 Tulane in the second round.
Both women’s Winners Bracket contests are slated for 2 p.m. Eastern on Friday.
Friday’s schedule at Ashwaubenon will begin with Elimination Bracket competition. The first round is set for 8:45 a.m. Eastern followed by another round of elimination matches at 10:45 a.m. Eastern.
Match play will continue throughout the day Friday until the finalists for Saturday’s championship matches are decided.
Teams qualified for the ITC in March by finishing among the top four at one of four sectional tournaments held across the country.
Live coverage of all qualifying and match-play rounds leading up to the televised finals is available at BowlTV.com.
CLICK HERE for additional information about the Intercollegiate Team Championships.