#2 ARKANSAS STATE, #4 VANDERBILT KNOCK HERONS OUT OF CHAMPIONSHIP RACE

The William Smith College bowling team was eliminated from the NCAA National Collegiate Bowling Championship today, but it took the defending national champion and the 2023 runner-up to end the Herons historic second season.
 
William Smith opened the Rochester Regional on Thursday, defeating Fayetteville State University 2-0 in a mega match, to advance to Friday's double elimination draw. The Herons faced second-ranked and 2023 runner-up Arkansas State University in the morning.
 
In the team portion of the match, William Smith wasn't intimidated by the Red Wolves, leading by 13 pins through seven frames. Arkansas State rolled five strikes in the eighth frame, three more in the ninth and posted eight in the 10th to pull away for a 1,022-947 win. Junior Michaela Morgan posted a match-high 248 for the Herons. Sophomore Caitlyn Anschutz added a 199.
 
William Smith also held the lead during Baker play. Through three games, the Herons were up 12 pins, but the Red Wolves dominated the fourth game 247-174 to take a 61-pin advantage into the final game. The Herons pulled back 21 of those pins, but it wasn't enough to force a best of seven.
 
That result sent William Smith to an elimination match against fourth-ranked Vanderbilt University. The defending national champs were upended by Merrimack College in their opener.
 
The Commodores got a pair of 200 games to win the team point 947-849. Morgan again paced the Herons with a 192. In the Baker portion, William Smith trailed Vanderbilt by just 25 points going into the final game, but couldn't catch the champs.
 
The Herons finished their sophomore season with a 50-23 record. The AMCC regular season and tournament champions won 46 more matches than they did in their inaugural season last year.