The Southeastern Illinois College men’s bowling team has qualified for the national tournament for just the second time in its young program history.

The Falcons have been assigned to the Nashville Sectional, which will be contested March 14–15 in Smyrna, Tennessee. The sectional will feature 20 teams competing for four coveted spots in the National Championship Tournament to be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin in April.

Those four advancing teams from Nashville will join four qualifiers from three other sectionals across the country to complete the 16-team national championship field.

Head Coach Doug Cottom expressed pride in his team’s season-long consistency and resilience.

“Really proud of this group,” he said. “We have been inside the qualifying number all year and then weather reared its ugly head in January knocking us out of two tournaments. I thought it might cost us, but we played just well enough in Indianapolis this past weekend to stay in.”

The Nashville Sectional is widely regarded as one of the most competitive in the country. The field includes the last two national champions — University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Webber International University — creating a challenging path to advancement.

“On paper the Nashville Sectional looks to be the strongest,” Coach Cottom added. “So we will have our work cut out for us. The sectional tournament is as much an endurance test as anything, so we will be practicing and playing a lot in the next three weeks. It’s a tough task that hopefully we are up for.”

The Falcons will now turn their focus toward preparation as they look to extend their season and earn a place in Green Bay this April.