From wire reports
The women’s and men’s programs from Milligan University claimed the top spots at the Bowlero Southern Collegiate Classic over the weekend, earning the championship trophies from the Tier I event in Marietta, Ga.
The 2026 event featured 15 varsity teams in the women’s division and 25 varsity squads in the men’s field. Qualifying included five traditional games and 16 Baker games over two days.
The top four teams advanced to a best-of-five Baker bracket to determine the winner in each division.
On the women’s side, the top four teams separated themselves from the rest of the field. Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah led in Marietta with a total score of 7,859. Pikeville was second with 7,809, Cumberland qualified third with 7,682 and Milligan earned the final spot with 7,495.
Moving to the bracket, SCAD-Savannah took the first two games against Milligan, but the Buffaloes averaged more than 215 to win the final three games (222-162, 220-193, 204-177) to advance to the finals, 3-2.
The other semifinal match needed six games to determine which team would move onto the title match. Pikeville and Cumberland were tied 2-2 heading into Game 5, and they remained locked after each team closed with 181. Cumberland won Game 6 (230-215) to record the victory, 3.5-2.5.
Milligan swept Cumberland in the championship round, 3-0, to claim the program’s second Tier I title of the 2026-2027 season. The Buffaloes also won the women’s bracket at the Midwest Collegiate Championships in October.
SCAD-Savannah defeated Pikeville, 3-0, to finish in third place.
In the individual standings, Milligan’s Carly Wireman rolled 266 in the final game to take top honors, finishing with a 1,049 total for five games (209.8 average). Pikeville players claimed the next two spots as Cierra Gabriel and Kaytlen Peck had 1,043 and 1,026, respectively. Tennessee Wesleyan’s Kassidy Ritenbour was fourth with 999, while Pikeville’s Allison Taylor and Cumberland’s Jennifer Chiarillo tied for fifth with 992.
The battle for the top four spots in the men’s division was much tighter in Marietta. At the conclusion of qualifying, just 57 pins separated first from fifth place. Pikeville earned the top seed with 8,691 and was followed by Milligan (8,677), Belmont Abbey (8,643) and Webber International (8,638). Southern Nazarene missed the final spot by four pins, finishing with 8,634.
Pikeville delivered a 3.5-1.5 win over Webber to advance, while Milligan averaged nearly 230 (253-208, 230-170, 205-153) to sweep Belmont Abbey, 3-0.
In the finals, Pikeville took the early advantage at 2-1, but the Buffaloes won Games 4 and 5 (212-170, 246-176) to earn the victory and complete the sweep for their program, 3-2.
Webber finished third after posting a 3-1 win over Belmont Abbey.
Big scores were needed to earn a spot on the all-tournament team for the men’s division, as Milligan’s Sean Jenkins averaged 258 to record the victory with 1,290. Jenkins had games of 243, 220, 300, 289 and 238 in the extraordinary performance.
Webber’s Westyn Griffin also averaged over 250 to take second with 1,272. Pikeville’s Andrew Robitaille (1,238), Cumberland’s Braxton Dedmon (1,182) and Deion Ahmed of Pikeville (1,171) also finished in the top five.
BIG OLE OPEN
The top spots at the Big Ole Open were swept by Coe College in Alexandria, Minn., as the Kohawks collected bracket wins in the men’s and women’s divisions.
The 2026 event featured 12 varsity teams in the men’s division and 11 varsity squads in the women’s field. The format included five traditional games and 12 Baker games to determine the top four teams for the bracket.
Each bracket round was contested in a best-of-three Baker format.
In qualifying, Coe cruised to the top seed in the men’s division. They finished with a 7,221 total, more than 310 pins ahead of Iowa Central CC (6,902). Viterbo placed third with 6,867, and Briar Cliff earned the final spot in the bracket with 6,845.
The Kohawks defeated Briar Cliff in the opening round, 2-1, to earn their spot in the title match against Iowa Central. The Tritons advanced with a 2-1 win over Viterbo.
Coe swept Iowa Central in the championship round, posting wins of 190-159 and 219-190 to record the victory.
In the men’s individual standings, Iowa Central’s Nicholas Rajkovic and Samuel Katzenberger paced the field. Rajkovic led the way with a 1,143 total for five games (228.6 average), and Katzenberger was second with 1,090. Briar Cliff’s Christian Davis finished third with 1,052, while Coe’s Lucas Dolphin and Wartburg’s Ryland Prokopec tied for fourth with 1,028.
A strong Baker set helped Coe ascend to the top qualifying position in the women’s division with a 6,538 total. Iowa Central (6,329) and Viterbo (5,980) followed in the standings, and Waldorf edged College of Saint Mary by two pins for fourth with 5,903.
The first round of bracket action included a 2-0 win by the Kohawks over Waldorf, while Iowa Central put together a 2-1 victory over Viterbo to advance to the finals.
The women’s championship round finished the same as the men’s title tilt. Coe delivered a 2-0 sweep (204-180 and 195-152) to take home the win.
Iowa Central’s Macy Smedley posted the top five-game score in the women’s division, finishing with a 939 total (187.8 average). Three of the next four spots went to student-athletes from Coe. Jenna Rieder (916), Morgan Corley (894) and Kaylee Harris (853) placed second, third and fifth, respectively. Waldorf’s Angel Schuyler was fourth with 871.
OTHER COLLEGIATE ACTION
* The Boilermaker Classic in Lafayette, Ind., was contested as a single-day event and featured five traditional games. The Huntington women and Marian-Indiana men earned the top spots.
* The Boilermaker Shootout followed Sunday in Lafayette and featured 25 Baker games. The Trine men and women emerged victorious. On the women’s side, Trine claimed the win by just three pins over Huntington.
* At the Destination Florida event in Orlando, Fla., the Jacksonville State women defeated Nebraska in the championship match, 4-2.
* At the VUU Invitational in Midlothian, Va., the Central Missouri women defeated Felician in the championship match, 4-1.
* At the Windy City Classic in Morton Grove, Ill., the McKendree women rallied in the championship match to win, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, 4-3.
* At the Bulldog Classic in San Antonio, the Wichita State women bounced back from an earlier loss in the bracket to Vanderbilt to win the title. The Shockers claimed the victory against the Commodores in the title tilt by a margin of 4-2.
* At the Duquesne Invitational in Pittsburgh, the Duquesne women secured the home win. The Dukes defeated Maryland Eastern Shore in the title match, 4-2.
* At the Pat Lacey Memorial in Latrobe, Pa., the Lewis women went undefeated on the day and claimed the victory in the final match against Saint Vincent, 966-929.
* At the Wildlife Classic in Burrell, Pa., the Saint Vincent women posted a 5-0 record and secured the title with a victory over Alvernia in the final game, 859-759.
* At the AC Open in Adrian, Mich.n, the Adrian men cruised to the victory in the one-day event. Alma took the women’s title by six pins over Jackson.
* At the 18th Annual Lions Match Play Classic in St. Charles, Mo., the McKendree women and men each navigated their way through the varsity brackets to finish with the weekend sweep.
* At the Nittany Lion Cup in Sinking Spring, Pa., the New Jersey Institute of Technology men and Kutztown women finished at the top of the standings.
* At the Trailblazer Open in Vincennes, Ind.a, the home team – Vincennes – rolled to the victory in the men’s division by over 500 pins. Joshua Jones of Brescia University connected for a 300 game to start his individual block.
* A pair of events took place in Fresno, Calif., for the 53rd Annual West Coast Collegiate Team Championships. The Washington men claimed the victory at the first event, while Grand Canyon collected the win in the second tournament by 19 pins over San Jose State.
- At the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Great Lakes Open in Clinton Township, Michigan, the top two teams in the women’s division finished just two pins apart. Aquinas moved ahead of Indiana Tech in the final Baker game to record the win. On the men’s side, Indiana Tech rolled to the top spot by more than 340 pins.
For complete standings of college events, go to: https://collegebowling.bowl.com/