No Status Change Needed! Sacred Heart Runs It Back as #NECBOWL Tournament Champs - NEC Skip To Main Content
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No Status Change Needed! Sacred Heart Runs It Back as #NECBOWL Tournament Champs

3/26/2023


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Hamilton, NJ — Even with their backs against the wall, Sacred Heart’s status has not changed. 

The Pioneers have been perennial title contenders since 2009, the inaugural season of Northeast Conference (NEC) women’s bowling. Despite being pegged the underdog as the four seed, Sacred Heart rolled through this year’s tournament with four straight wins to remain on top of the conference for a league-best sixth time in 13 seasons. 

In the process, Sacred Heart made history by becoming the first-ever program in NEC to run it back and repeat as tournament champions.

Coming out of Friday’s play-in game to make it through to the NEC championship final for the eighth year in a row, Sacred Heart closed the deal against top-seeded FDU on Sunday at Hamilton Lanes with a grueling 4-to-2 best-of-7 baker victory to turn the mega match result in the Pioneers’ favor. 

It marked the sixth time that the longtime rivals duked it out for the conference crown, and with the win, the Pioneers now have sole possession of bragging rights with six titles to FDU’s five.

"We didn't expect this one, coming in from the play-in,” said Sacred Heart head coach Becky Kregling. “It's been a pretty up-and-down season. We ended big. That was the plan.”

FDU, the 2023 regular season champions, had redemption on the mind. Coming up on the wrong end of a tooth-and-nail slugfest with Sacred Heart on Friday, the Knights battled their way into the title match from the elimination bracket.

Needing a mega match victory to force a tie-breaking best-of-7 battle, the Knights posted a commanding 1017-905 traditional team win over Sacred Heart.

But Sacred Heart, which has now won seven straight postseason games dating back to the 2022 tournament, put the pedal to the metal. Building an early 121 pin cushion after the first two games in the quint baker series, the Pioneers took care of business and posted a 164-pin advantage to tie up the mega match at 1-to-1. 

The Pioneers will learn their NCAA Tournament opponent on Wednesday during the Selection Show.