LIMA, Ohio – Lincoln Memorial University's men's bowling team finished sixth out of 11 teams on day one of the Racer Classic hosted by the University of Northern Ohio. The Railsplitters posted a score of 5556 to fall just 13 pins shy of fifth-place Belmont Abbey. Notre Dame College blew away the rest of the field with a final score of 5960. Five traditional team games were played for a total of 30 total games.
 
Freshman Hunter Kempton made the all-tournament team with a fifth-place individual finish out of 80 bowlers. Mason Yamada came in eighth. Kempton posted a score of 1214, while Yamada wasn't far behind at 1194.
 
"For Hunter to make all-Tournament team and Mason to finish eighth individually illustrates our potential to have a special second season," LMU Director of Bowling and Men's Head Coach Joe Slowinski said.
 
Brandon St. Onge, Igar Rodriguez, Clay Hartman, Nolan Hughes, Corey O'Neill and Shawn Fitzpatrick also participated in the event. It was the LMU debut for Rodriguez, Hartman, Hughes and Fitzpatrick.
 
"I was very pleased with day one especially with five new bowlers," Slowinski said.  "The trust in moves was very high and the team worked well as a collective unit."
 
The Racer Classic will resume Sunday with 16 baker games. Baker is a format in which five bowlers combine for a single game. They rotate so that each member bowls two frames. It is the format used in postseason play.
 
"To make a run into match play, we need to be better at spares and to execute quality shots when we have a good look," added Slowinski. "This will be our first Baker tournament experience this season, so we want to take advantage and work well as a team unit".