ARLINGTON, Texas – United States Bowling Congress Collegiate has determined the Webber International men’s bowling team must vacate its 2017 Intercollegiate Team Championships title and its third-place finish at the 2016 event because the team used a player who was ineligible for competition.
The Webber player violated USBC Collegiate Rule 207 related to professional membership and Webber violated the USBC Code of Conduct for failing to perform its due diligence of confirming the athlete was eligible to compete in USBC Collegiate competition. The player has been ruled ineligible effectively immediately.
Webber head coach Del Warren has been suspended indefinitely from USBC Collegiate certified events. He cannot travel, coach or have contact with Webber teams during the remainder of the regular season or during the postseason of USBC Collegiate certified events.
The Webber men’s bowling team will be placed on probation for the remainder of the season and for the 2018-2019 season. All Team Ranking Points for the 2017-2018 season in which the ineligible player was on the varsity team also will be vacated. The team is eligible to compete in the 2018 ITC sectionals, provided it earns enough Team Ranking Points to be ranked in the top 80 teams in the official Team Ranking System, and will be eligible for the ITC national event, should the team advance.
In addition, the Webber men’s team will vacate any Team Ranking Points earned in events in which the ineligible player bowled on the varsity team during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons. Webber will be required to return any awards (trophies, medals, rings) associated with the 2017 ITC postseason.
United States Bowling Congress
The United States Bowling Congress serves as the national governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). USBC conducts championship events nationwide including the largest participation sporting events in the world – the USBC Open and Women’s Championships – and professional events such as the USBC Masters and USBC Queens.
Founded in 1895, today USBC and its 2,500 state and local associations proudly serve more than a million members. USBC is headquartered in Arlington, Texas, working toward a future for the sport. The online home for USBC is BOWL.com.
