LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Senior Georgia Wiggins earned tournament MVP honors, and led the Newman women's bowling team to a second place finish at the UNLV Rebel Classic, which concluded Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. Newman's men's team finished fifth in the same event.

Coming off the team's first-ever tournament championship, the Newman women's squad held a 250-pin lead, thanks in large part to senior Georgia Wiggins, who posted a 204-pin average for the first day of competition. Wiggins found herself and her team in the lead heading into the second day of play. Sunday's final day proved to be a challenge. The Jets squandered its entire 250-pin lead, and found themselves in a dog fight with the same sixth-ranked Midland University team they had defeated just two days earlier. This time, Midland held off the Jets, sending them back to Wichita with a second-placed finish.

"All in all it was a great weekend for the ladies," head coach Billy Murphy said. "The performances this weekend will only help this team keep developing, and will get them ready for post season play."

Meanwhile, the Newman men's teams snatched a top-five finish at the Rebel Classic. After finding themselves in seventh-place, and needing to make up 330 pins on sixth-placed Fresno State in day two, the Jets proved they were up to the challenge. Newman cut the Fresno State lead to 180, but the Bulldogs were able to fend them off. The Jets bounced back for 10-straight wins to end Sunday's final day of competition, finishing with a 10-2 record in the tournament, good enough for fifth place.

"We did some very good things on Sunday," Murphy said. "Bringing home a pair of top-five finishes is huge for this team. We are starting to show some passion for the game, and I feel good about our chances to make a late-season run to post-season."

The Jets will return to action Feb. 4, traveling to Fairview Heights, Ill., for the McKendree Baker Challenge.