Intercollegiate Bowling Championships

College bowling hosts some of the most exciting team events you could ever imagine. The energy and enthusiasm, the team camaraderie and school spirit, the competition in general is nothing short of infectious.

The college bowling season kicks off in the fall about the same time as football season. Events are held all over the country as teams compete for ranking points in an all out effort to earn a spot to the Sectional Qualifying Tournaments. The Sectional Qualifying Tournaments are basically the preliminaries to the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships.

The country is divided into four sections. Accumulated ranking points aid in determining which Sectional Qualifier teams will attend. According to the ranking system, there shall be no more than four of the top men's teams and four of the top women's teams in each Sectional Qualifier. Other teams winning a 'bid' to Sectionals will be assigned based on geographic location, field size, and other factors.

During the month of March, collegiate bowlers from around the country compete in the Sectional Qualifying Tournaments in order to gain a berth into the National Championship Tournament. During the tournaments, teams compete in Baker style format in an effort to be one of the top four men's or top four women's team in each section. These top teams, 16 total, will move on to compete in the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships (IBC) held in April.

In April, the top 16 men's teams and top 16 women's teams travel to the IBC and compete in a bracket style, head-to-head, double elimination Baker style format. At the end of the competition, one men's team and one women's team will emerge victorious. These winners will take home the Helmer Cup, the coveted trophy of collegiate bowling named for longtime Erie Community College coach Kerm Helmer; who won four national titles during his coaching tenure.