JONESBORO, Ark. (4/9/2012) — The Arkansas State bowling team will depart for the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning in search of the program’s first NCAA championship.

The team will practice Wednesday morning at the Freeway Lanes of Wickliffe in Wickliffe, a suburb of Cleveland. Wednesday evening the team will participate in the annual Tournament Banquet where the National Ten Pin Coaches Association will announce the All-America teams and Player of the Year Awards.

The tournament will begin on Thursday, April 12 with two sections of seeding rounds. Each team will bowl one, five-person game against the seven other teams in the field for a total of seven games. Team will then be seeded for bracket play based on their win-loss record during the seeding rounds. The first section is set to begin at 8 a.m. (CT), while the second section is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. (CT).

Friday’s round will begin at 8 a.m. (CT) with the start of best-of-seven bakes matches in a double elimination tournament. In the baker format, each of the five team members will bowl a complete frame in order until a complete 10-frame game is bowled.

Friday’s action will begin at 11 a.m. (CT) if a playoff is needed to decide to final two teams that will compete in the championship at 7 p.m. (CT) that night.

The title match will be televised on ESPNU at 7 p.m. (CT) on Saturday night. A replay of the championship finals will air on ESPN at 1:30 p.m. (CT) Sunday, April 15. The first two days of the tournament will be streamed live on www.NCAA.com.

The Red Wolves are making their fifth consecutive appearance at the national tournament. They finished the season with an 80-23 record; the second most wins in school history and were ranked first in the latest NTCA poll for the first time in school history.

Joining ASU in the field are Vanderbilt, Valparaiso, Nebraska, Central Missouri, Maryland Eastern Shore, Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson.