For the fifth straight season, the St. Ambrose men's bowling team has qualified for the Intercollegiate Team Championship tournament.

Both SAU men's and women's squads were sent to the Smyrna, Tenn., sectional this past weekend. The men's field featured 20 of the top-80 ranked bowling programs in the nation, as did the other three sectional qualifiers in Addison, Ill., Dayton, Ohio, and Dallas, Texas.

St. Ambrose averaged more than 214 per game for the 64 baker games to qualify second, just 10 pins behind defending national champs Wisconsin-Whitewater, and punch their ticket to the national championship tournament being held at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas, Nev., in April. UW-Whitewater's pinfall total was 13,752, with St. Ambrose closing at 13,742. Tennessee Southern placed third (13,480), with St. Francis-Illinois coming in fourth (13,060).

Team members were Justin Aboud, Cameron Crowe, Zack Denton, Zach Greim, William Jones, Anthony Mastroianni, Jordan Monnens and Ryan Speer. That group and Joshua Collins, Thomas Cutsforth, Mitchel Guzzle, Adam Kowalik, Alex Nolan, Zack Olkiewicz, Josh Prowse and Corey Roth competed in the Intercollegiate Singles Championship.

On the women's side, the Bees came in sixth place in the field of 17 teams. The top four advancing to nationals in the sectional were McKendree (13,195), Maryland-Eastern Shore (12,564), St. Francis-Illinois (12,315) and Tennesee Southern (12,054).

Tricia Alvarado, Marissa Bills, Amanda Bohn, Kayla Devine, Sarah Fox, Noelle Phillips, Bailey Tripilas, Samantha Upham and Erin Williams competed for the Bee women.

The Intercollegiate Team Championship tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, April 21-23, in Las Vegas.