Stephen F. Austin beat No. 1 Vanderbilt, the defending national champion, to win the 2019 national title on Saturday, April 13, at RollHouse Wickliffe in Wickliffe, Ohio. SFA won, 4-1, in the best-of-seven series.
Vanderbilt defeated Nebraska in Saturday's morning session to advance to the final match. SFA clinched its spot on Friday, with a win over Maryland Eastern Shore. The final was on ESPNU.
Twelve teams were originally selected to the championship field, with eight participating in opening round matches to finalize the championship bracket.
Here's the final bracket:
2019 NC bowling championship bracket
Click here to view the printable bracket
Vanderbilt, McKendree, Sam Houston State and Nebraska were the four teams placed in the bracket, bypassing opening round games. Sacred Heart, Arkansas State, Stephen F. Austin and Maryland Eastern Shore rounded out the final field after opening round victories.
Bracket competition follows a double-elimination format, with each round consisting of a best-of-three match that includes the use of three team game formats — baker total pin fall, five-person team match and a best-of-seven baker match play.
The national champion was determined using a best-of-seven baker match play.
The first five rounds were live streamed on krikya18.com. The championship final was Saturday, April 13 and was televised on ESPNU.
Here is the schedule and results from each 2019 championship match:
| DATE | TIME (ET) | MATCH |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, April 11 | 9 a.m. | Sacred Heart def. No. 1 Vanderbilt (Match 1) |
| Thursday, April 11 | 9 a.m. | Nebraska def. Arkansas State (Match 2) |
| Thursday, April 11 | 9 a.m. | SFA def. Sam Houston State (Match 3) |
| Thursday, April 11 | 9 a.m. | No. 2 McKendree def. UMES (Match 4) |
| Thursday, April 11 | 3 p.m. | Nebraska def. Sacred Heart (Match 5) |
| Thursday, April 11 | 3 p.m. | SFA def. No. 2 McKendree (Match 6) |
| Thursday, April 11 | 3 p.m. | No. 1 Vanderbilt def. Arkansas State (Match 7) |
| Thursday, April 11 | 3 p.m. | Maryland Eastern Shore def. Sam Houston State (Match 8) |
| Friday, April 12 | 9 a.m. | No. 1 Vanderbilt vs. def No. 2 McKendree (Match 9) |
| Friday, April 12 | 9 a.m. | Maryland Eastern Shore def Sacred Heart (Match 10) |
| Friday, April 12 | 3 p.m. | Vanderbilt def. Nebraska (Match 11) |
| Friday, April 12 | 3 p.m. | SFA def. Maryland Eastern Shore (Match 12) |
| Saturday, April 13 | 9 a.m. | Vanderbilt def. Nebraska (Match 13) |
| Saturday, April 13 | 6:30 p.m. | SFA def. Vanderbilt (Championship Final) |
