- Valpo Bowling Makes History; Earns #1 Ranking
The Crusaders gather at the Victory Bell Monday night after learning they were ranked #1 in the nation. Twice this season already, the Valparaiso University women’s bowling team has found its way to the Victory Bell outside the Athletics-Recreation Center to celebrate tournament championships. But when the team spontaneously converged on the Victory Bell late in the evening hours on December 12, it was to celebrate an even greater accomplishment.
That night, the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) December national poll was released, and atop the poll at #1 in the nation sat Valparaiso. The honor marks the first time in the history of Valparaiso University that any athletic program has earned a #1 ranking nationally in their spot.
Valpo leapfrogged up to the #1 spot from #18 in the preseason poll, setting a new poll record for largest improvement from one poll to the next. The Crusaders received eight of the 23 available first-place votes and totaled 582 points, edging Fairleigh Dickinson (six first-place votes, 580 points) by a mere two points.
Valpo earned the #1 national ranking after strong performances against top competition in their first three tournaments of the season. The Crusaders started the year with a program record 10 consecutive victories at the Greater Ozark Invitational en route to the first official tournament title in program history. Valpo then made it back-to-back titles by capturing their own Crusader Classic, and most recently finished third at the 19-team Hawk Classic against a field that included most of the nation’s top teams.
The Crusaders currently own a 30-8 record on the season, including an impressive 15-4 mark against the top-10 teams in the current poll. Individually, senior Natalie Cortese has earned national recognition as well, as she was named one of Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd in its Dec. 5, 2011 issue. Valparaiso returns to the lanes as the nation’s top-ranked team on Friday, January 13, as the Crusaders begin four consecutive weekends of competition at the Mid-Winter Invitational, hosted by Arkansas State.