NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Commodores conclude their fall season at Maryland-Eastern Shore’s Hawk Classic, this year being held at the Bowl America Lanes in Woodbridge, Virginia, for the first time. The tournament is being co-hosted by Monmouth and marks the biggest and strongest field of the young season.
Timeline
Friday – Baker play begins at 9:05 a.m. CT
Saturday – Traditional play begins at 9:05 a.m. CT
Sunday – Bracket play begins at 7:30 a.m. CT
Competing teams
Adelphi, Bryant, Central Missouri, Delaware State, Duquesne, Fairleigh Dickinson, Jacksonville State, Lincoln Memorial, Louisiana Tech, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Merrimack, Morgan State, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary, North Carolina A & T, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis, Sam Houston State, Vanderbilt, Wilmington, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Youngstown State
Same tournament but new venue
Vanderbilt has won this tournament more than any other—six times—and, at one point, Vanderbilt had won five Hawk Classic titles in six years. Vandy has competed in this tournament more than any other over the years.
Last year the Commodores led the tournament most of the way and had the No. 1 seed but lost a 4-3 decision in the championship match to North Carolina A&T. Commodore freshmen Victoria Varano and Alyssa Ballard made the five-woman all-tournament team with Mabel Cummins sixth.
Previous tournaments were held in Millsboro, Delaware.
Livestreams
BowlTV will be on hand to stream some of the competition, but it will not cover all lanes. When the Commodores are not streamed on BowlTV they will be on the Vanderbilt Athletics YouTube site.
Touring the capital
Head coach John Williamson has a long practice of taking his teams to interesting historical sites whenever practical the day before competition begins. With Vandy traveling to nearby Woodbridge, Virginia, for the event, the Commodores will get an insider’s tour of the United States Capitol, courtesy of Senator Bill Hagerty’s office Thursday morning.
Conference USA adds Wichita State
Wichita State’s bowling program, long one of the powerhouses among university club teams, is moving up to NCAA status and joining Conference USA beginning in the 2024-25 season. The addition of the Shockers increases current league membership to 10 schools for the 2024-25 season, as the Shockers join Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tulane, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and Youngstown State. The nation’s strongest bowling league just got stronger.
