SMYRNA, Tenn. – The Trine University Men's Bowling team qualified for the USBC ITC Nationals at last week's USBC Sectionals. Trine earned one of the four automatic bids by placing fourth, narrowly defeating Concordia for the final spot. The top four teams in each of the four sectionals earned bids to the National Championships at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 15^th-19^th. This marks the second trip to the national championships in three years for the Thunder.
 
The Thunder battled to enter the top 4 cut number all weekend, finally jumping Concordia in game 63/64. The Thunder held Concordia off in the final round when Freshman Team USA Member Micah Voorhis stepped up in the 10^th and filled the frame with a spare and 9 pins. Junior Blake Attig came off the bench to throw 5/6 strikes in his frames, and Junior Team USA Member Hayden Hale had two clutch 5-7 split conversions late in the day to help Trine secure their bid. Seniors Bryce Ooley and Alex Bumpus lead the team for the entire day on Sunday, providing their experience to help facilitate the nationals berth. Trine will begin their chase for the program's first Helmer Cup on April 15^th.