NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Bowie State University women's bowling team ranks sixth in the 2015-16 Preseason Division II/Division III poll conducted by the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) and rank 24th overall among institutions. Bowie State received 148 in the adjusted point standing.
 
The Lady Bulldogs captured the 2015 CIAA Bowling Championship, their fifth overall, defeating Virginia State University in the finals.
 
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (328 points) received the first place spot all Division II/III institutions with nine first place votes. McKendree University took second place in the poll (305 points), while the University of Central Missouri-Warrensburg (294 points) followed in third. Kutztown (234 points) received the fourth place spot, and Adelphi (206 points) rounded out the top five.
 
The second half of the Top 10 began with Bowie State, followed by Franklin Pierce (147 points), Cheyney (96 points), Felician (89 points), and Fayetteville State (88 points).
 
NTCA voters rank the top 20 teams on their ballot. Each position has a designated point value, ranging from 32 points for first place and one point for twentieth place. Teams are ranked using the adjusted total point standings, after the highest and lowest votes are dropped.
 
Defending national champion Nebraska tops the pre-season poll conducted by the National Ten Pin Coaches Association, the official poll of NCAA Bowling.
 
The Cornhuskers earned 17 of the poll's 25 first-place votes to easily out-distance second place Arkansas State, who tallied five first-place votes.  Stephen F. Austin, last year's national runner-up, came in third with a pair of first-place votes, just ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson, who got the remaining first place vote. Vanderbilt was fifth to round out the National Top 5.
 
Bowie State opens the 2015-16 season at the Hampton Roads Invitational – October 24th and 25th.