PITTSBURGH – The fifth-year Duquesne bowling program made history when it was awarded one of 10 at-large berths for the 2021 NCAA Bowling Championship scheduled for April 7-10 at AMF Pro Bowl Lanes in North Kansas City, Mo.
The ninth-ranked Dukes (34-15) will face fellow Northeast Conference member Sacred Heart in Region 1 of the 16-team double-elimination championship which begins on April 7. Top-seeded McKendree and Roberts Wesleyan round out the region.
With the bid, the bowling team becomes just the fifth program in school history to earn an NCAA Championship appearance, joining men's and women's basketball, volleyball and women's soccer.
- Men's Basketball: 1940, 1952, 1969, 1971, 1977
- Volleyball: 2013
- Women's Basketball: 2016
- Women's Soccer: 2015
- Bowling: 2021
The Dukes, who are ranked No. 4 in the latest NCAA RPI, will join six conference automatic qualifiers (Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, East Coast Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Northeast Conference, Southland Conference and Southwest Athltetic Conference) in the 16-team field.
Due to COVID-19, the 2021 championship playoff format involves 16 teams playing regional matches at the final site. Regional competition will be conducted April 7-8.
Each match of the double-elimination tournament, other than the if-necessary regional final match and championship final match, will consist of team competing in a best-of-three match format, bowled in the following order: five-person team match, Baker total pinfall and best-of-seven Baker match play.
The winners of the four regionals will advance to the championship final. Any 'if-necessary' regional final match and the championship final match will be best-of-seven Baker match play.
Championship Schedule:
- Wednesday, April 7 (Regionals)
- Thursday, April 8 (Regionals)
- Friday, April 9 (Finals, Rounds 1 & 2)
- Saturday, April 10 (Finals, Round 3 and Championship Final)
All four days of the championship will be streamed live on NCAA.com. Live coverage is to be determined.
