Panthers look for continued success

 The national rankings are out, and the Prairie View A&M University bowling team is ranked No. 17.
 The team kicked off its season this past weekend in New Orleans, as they participated at the Tulane Collegiate Bowling Invitational.
The Panthers finished in fourth place behind Stephen F. Austin University, Sam Houston University, and Arkansas State University who won the tournament.
Months after being voted number No. 19 in the National Tenpin Coaches final poll, the Panthers come into the season with lofty expectations.
Last season, the Panthers opened 20th in the NTCA poll preseason poll. The Panthers loaded their early non-conference schedule with tough opponents. The team used those grueling matchups to ready itself for SWAC play.
In SWAC play, the Lady Panthers rolled through their competition as they won the SWAC West crown for the second straight season. After two straight years as the runner-up in the championship round of SWAC Championship play, the Lady Panthers achieved the biggest milestone in program history as they captured the 2012 SWAC Bowling Championship for the first time ever.
The team continued the momentum into the off-season signing Central Texas standout Brittney Wehmeier. She finished her school career as one of the top female bowlers in the state of Texas. She is a two-time Texas High School Bowling Club State Tournament participant and bowled the highest game in the tournament last year with a mark of 278 in the singles qualifying standings.
"The team knows what's expected of them as we're now to the point to where we compete nationally for a NCAA Tourney berth in addition to a SWAC title," said head coach Glenn White.
The schedule is jam-packed with difficult matches across the country in Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Indiana. The annual Prairie View A&M Invitational will be at the International Training & Research Center on Feb. 1-3 in Arlington, Texas.