From wire reports
PARMA HEIGHTS — For the second time in its three seasons of existence, the Jacksonville State (Ala.) University women’s bowling team can call itself NCAA champions.
The top-seeded Gamecocks, who captured the title in 2024 and were runners-up to Youngstown State in 2025, defeated No. 4 seed Wichita State 4-1 during Saturday’s title match at Yorktown Lanes.
Now, the Gamecocks will seek another title beginning Monday when they begin play in the Intercollegiate Team Championships — a title they won a year ago — at the Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wis.
The win also brings home the fourth national title for head coach Shannon O’Keefe, who also claimed a pair of championships at McKendree before taking over the program at Jax State. She guided McKendree to national championships in 2017 and 2022.
“This is a historic season,” said O’Keefe, whose team emerged with the title from a 19-team field that began the tournament. “I don’t know if there’s been a team that’s ever done what they’ve done and be as dominant. We out-averaged the second-best team in the country by nearly 10 pins a game. That’s 10 pins per person per game, and that is wild to me.
“It only felt right that these girls earned the right to lift that trophy over their head tonight. As much as Bryan (O’Keefe) and I love to win for us, we wanted it for them more than we wanted it for us.”
The Gamecocks, who have a record-setting 103-10 record, dropped the first game of the best-of-seven Baker match 216-208, but rattled off the next four in a row (246-213, 240-196, 185-169, 191-184) to clinch the title.
Division I National Player of the Year Gianna Brandolino clinched the championship victory for Jax State with back-to-back strikes in the 10th frame of the fourth game. Triway High School graduate Emma Yoder bowled second in the Gamecocks’ lineup throughout the title match, with Wooster’s Abbie Leiendecker also being a member of the team.
“It’s such an incredible group of young ladies,” said O’Keefe, who said this year’s Jax State squad is the greatest she’s ever coached. “We’re so blessed to be able to lead them and to be a part of the journey with them.”
Jax State had already beaten Wichita State in the first round of the championship bracket and beat Vanderbilt to clinch a spot to clinch a spot in the title match in the round-robin event. Wichita State also snapped a 42-match win streak Jax State had earlier in the year.
Much like in the Arlington Regional, Wichita State had to battle back from an early defeat to even reach the championship match. The Shockers dropped their first mega match of the Final Four to Jacksonville State on Friday, losing the traditional point by the score of 1,165-1,049 and the Baker in a back-and-forth battle, 1,198-1,162.
The Shockers then had to stop No. 2 seed Vanderbilt in the morning elimination match to earn a spot in the title contest, a team that had beaten Wichita State five straight times.
It appeared the Commodores were well on their way to extending that streak with a 1,106-1,027 victory in the traditional stanza, but the Shockers did not go quietly. They hung on for a 1,038-992 decision in the Baker match, forcing a best-of-seven with a trip to the championship on the line. Vanderbilt rallied for a 225-212 win to open the battle, but WSU took the next three games by scores of 225-224, 247-235 and 256-244 to put them on the doorstep.
Vanderbilt stayed alive with a resounding 274-200 win in game five, but the Shockers pulled away early in the sixth game for a 269-207 victory and a berth in the title match.
Jacksonville State’s Erin Klemencic was named Most Outstanding Player and was one of three Gamecocks on the all-tournament team.