ADDISON, Ill. – The Notre Dame College bowling teams braved the single-digit temperatures and icy parking lots of greater Chicago on January 18 and 19 as they competed in the Midwest Collegiate Classic, one of the biggest college tournaments. The women's team tied for 12th place out of 57 teams, while the men placed 27th in a 75-team field. Hosted by the Illinois State Bowling Proprietors Association, the competition took place at Stardust Bowl.

The Notre Dame women burst out of the gate with five-player scores of 945, 977 and 982, briefly putting them in third place among the 32 teams competing on the 7:30 a.m. squad. An additional 25 women's teams bowled later in the day. When Saturday's games concluded, the Falcons were in 7th place overall, just two pins out of 6th place.

Senior Alisha Noon led all Falcon bowlers with a 215 average for five games, placing second among 364 competitors in the women's division and making her second consecutive All-Tournament Team. She also earned the honor at the Warhawk Open in December, at the same bowling center. Noon leads the NDC women with a 190 average for the season. Senior Alexandria Dick averaged 190 at the MCC to place 54th in the women's field, and senior Jessica Shufelt was 63rd with a 189 average. Sharing the second spot in the line-up, junior Haley Groat and senior Angela Gale combined to average 193.

NDC has been dominant on the women's side in this year's Sunday Baker rounds, but strikes were harder to come by during the second day of this weekend's competition. The NDC women opened the 20-game block with scores of 181 and 178 that included a total of only five strikes, along with 14 spares.  That set the tone for the day, and while the team dropped into a tie for 12th place when the final ball had been rolled, their splendid spare-shooting display kept them in the hunt. The women's division was won by the University of St. Francis (Illinois).

Fresh off a championship in the Buckeye Baker Classic the week before, the Falcon men averaged 194 and found themselves in 19th place after Saturday's team games. Junior Conner Novak averaged 210, placing him 37th out of 490 bowlers in the men's field. Junior Anthony Evans was 57th with a 204 average, while junior Dean Vargo averaged 202 to place 63rd.

Like the women, the NDC men found it more difficult to strike on Sunday, averaging 182 for the Baker round and slipping to 27th place overall, but finished strong with games of 211 and 214.  The men's division was won by St. Ambrose University.

The Falcon bowlers will head to Jackson, Michigan, on February 8 for the Scotty Classic, hosted by Alma College. This event will be the team's Senior Day.

A dinner honoring the seven bowlers in the Class of 2020 will be held at OneNorth Kitchen & Bar (onenorthdining.com), 2115 Bondsteel Dr., Jackson, MI, 49202, at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 7. To join the guest list, please contact Tom Reid (treid@ndc.edu) by January 28. The guests attending will be expected to pay for their meals.