SMYRNA, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's bowling team is currently in eighth place after day one of the 2022 Intercollegiate Team Championship Sectional Qualifier, which is being held at Smyrna Lanes.

The Pioneers have a Baker 32-game total of 6,053 pins and are eighth in the 20-team sectional. The top four teams of the ITC Sectional will advance to next month's USBC National Championship in Addison, Illinois (Apr. 20-23).

Savannah College of Art and Design has the first day lead with 6,609 pins, while Tennessee Wesleyan is second with 3,065. Indiana Tech is third with 6,322, followed by Lindenwood (6291) to round out the top-four.

Southeastern Illinois is fifth (6275), followed by Emmanuel (6116), Pikeville (6106), Tusculum (6053), Concordia (5998) and Cumberlands (5880) to comprise the top-10 for the sectional.

Wright State is 11^th with 5,867 pins, followed by Florida State (5856), Aquinas (5847), Belmont Abbey (5805), Midway (5781), SCAD-Atlanta (5774), Lincoln Memorial (5726), Campbellsville (5684), Culver-Stockton (5594) and Baker University (5378).

Tusculum got off to a slow start and was in last place at the quarter-way mark after eight games with a pinfall of 1,295 (20^th of 20).

But the Pioneers rallied in their second set of eight games and bowled a tournament-best 1,727 during that span. With the surge, the Pioneers climbed 13 spots and were seventh at the halfway mark of Saturday's action with 3,022 pins. Tusculum posted 3,031 pins for its second group of 16 games as the Pioneers slipped one position and are in eighth.

The teams will compete in a second day of 32 Baker games on Sunday to wrap up sectional qualifying.

ITC Smyrna Sectional Qualifier (Day 1)