Men's Bowling | 3/10/2018 7:52:00 PM

DALLAS — With 32 of the weekend's 64 baker games completed Saturday, the Newman men's and women's bowling teams are in solid position at the Intercollegiate Team Championship sectional qualifier.

The Jet women closed strong, averaging 199 over their final four-game block to close the day with a total of 5,965, averaging 186.4, to finish the first day in fourth place. They have a 114-pin edge on fifth-place Baker, and are 49 pins back of third-place William Penn.

McKendree holds an impressive lead, averaging 201.5 to hold a 183-pin lead over second-place Wichita State. The top four teams qualify for a spot at the national tournament in April in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Jet men closed the day with two of the top 11 games in the entire second block of the day, ending with 233 and 235. With the team sitting in fifth place, those scores helped boost them closer to the all-important top four. The Jets finished with a score of 6,116, averaging 191.1.

The men are just 47 pins behind fourth-place William Penn. Wichita State (6,363) and Midland (6,341) have a bit of a cushion, while the McKendree men followed their women's lead, totaling 6,657 for a 208.0 average.

The action continues with 32 more baker games Sunday, beginning at 7:45 a.m. back at USA Bowl.