The 2011 United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships will be held April 20-23 at AMF Peach Lanes in Columbus, Ga., the USBC announced.
The ITC is the pinnacle tournament of the collegiate season, bringing together the top 16 men's and top 16 women's teams to compete for a national title. Four sectional qualifying tournaments determine the field for the ITC.
"In terms of excitement and emotion, this is one of the best events for a bowling fan to see," said USBC Collegiate Manager Gary Brown. "It's great USBC can take this event to a new area of the country so more people can experience collegiate bowling."
The Columbus Sports Council jumped at the chance to bring the collegiate championships to Columbus.
"We are very excited about having the USBC in Columbus, Ga.," said Herbert Greene, Executive Director of the Columbus Sports Council. "It is a great bowling town and we hope to increase this passion by hosting this tournament."
The ITC, previously the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships, was first contested in 1975 in Dayton, Ohio. In 2010, the tournament was held in El Paso, Texas, on the lanes built for the USBC Women's Championships at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center.
"We know that the folks in El Paso set the bar high in 2010," said Larry Ross, AMF Regional Vice President, South Central Region. "We realize that it will be a challenge for a commercial bowling center to live up to that standard. Our company plans to embrace that challenge. I trust our front line staff will do whatever it takes to provide the 2011 ITC participants with the service and support they deserve."
The 2011 ITC originally was announced for Syracuse, N.Y., but was shifted to Columbus because of a scheduling conflict.
