126 Bowling A sixth straight Ale title Competing in the Ale for the next to the last time, Harding's bowling team continued to dominate the league, winning their sixth stra ight championship, their fourteenth conference title in all. In spite of that effort, the Bisons did not go to a national tournament as had become customary, a quirk of fate due in part to the NAIA's discontinuation of bowling. With the Ale almost certain to follow the national organization's lead after the 1980 season, Harding's keglers began competing in Southern Intercollegiate Bowling Conference and American College Union International tournaments. Both leagues included both NCAA and NAIA teams. Five returning lettermen aided the Bisons in remaining quite competitive. On their strength Harding posted impressive preseason wins, including a win over thirdranked NCAA school Penn State in an SlBC match. Picked as the favorite for the AIC crown, the keglers fulfilled all expectations in tne conference tournament at the Professor Bowl in little Rock. Coming through the fourth round with a 600-pin lead, the team rolled on to an llOO-pin margin over seccond place University of Central Arkansas. The top two individual scorers were Bisons Mark Cramer and Ron Wheeler, while four other members earned All-AIC honors. From the AIC tournament, Harding went on to win the SIBC regional competition. Victory gave them a place in the ACUI sectionals, even though they placed fifth in the ACUI Region 12 tournament. However, the Bisons did not fa ir well in the sectionals and missed out on the ACUI national competition in which they had placed fifth last year. Seven Harding keglers were in a group of 12 bowlers invited to a post-season matchplay singles tournament at Pike Lanes in North Little Rock. Lew Dellinger of Lew's Brunswick Bowling and Billiard Supply arranged the tournament to provide championship-level competition for AIC bowlers after the conference dropped bowling from its list of sports. f;;,~ 1. TAKING TIME to lille up carefully, Jason Davis aims for a strike. 2. BOWLING TEAM. FRONT ROW: Cramer, Bedwell, Burt-Coach, Hiley. Kloske. BACK ROW.. Clitltotl , Wheeler, Dorsey, Campbell, Davis, Mitchell. 3. EVEN THOUGH Ilis roll looks impossible, Mark Cramer lIses his bowling skill to make the spare. 1979 AIC BOWLING RESULTS HARDING UNIVERSITY University of Central Arkansas Ouachita Baptist University Arkansas Tech University Hendrix College Arkansas College 22,445 21,125 21,104 21,023 20,042 17,077
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