The NCAA will crown its sixth national championship bowling team at the 2009 National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship, which will be held April 9-11 at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Mich.

The eight-team field for this year's event includes: Arkansas State University, Central Missouri University, Delaware State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, University of Nebraska, New Jersey City University and Vanderbilt University. Teams were selected by the NCAA Women's Bowling Committee based on the following criteria:

- Eligibility and availability of student athletes

- Overall win-loss percentage

- Head-to-head competition as compared between two teams

- Results versus common opponents

- Results versus previously-selected and/or ranked teams

- Overall strength of schedule

- Overall quality of wins index

Teams learned of their berths to this year's national tournament on March 25 during a live selection show that was televised on the Web-based NCAA Channel.

Maryland-Eastern Shore is the defending champion by virtue of its 4-2 victory over Arkansas State during the 2008 finals. The Hawks authored a 98-32 record this season and enter the event as the fifth-ranked team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Women's Bowling Rankings.

Vanderbilt (75-17) comes in as the nation's No. 1-ranked team although Nebraska (67-19) and Fairleigh Dickinson (92-20) also received first-place votes.

National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship action begins Thursday, April 9 with a qualifying round that features four traditional team games and 20 Baker-style games. At the end of those 24 games, total pinfall is used to seed teams for best-of-seven, double-elimination Baker match play. Matches continue until a champion is crowned. The championship match will be broadcast live on ESPNU, April 11 at 7 p.m. EDT.

Previous National Women's Collegiate Bowling Championship winners
2008 - University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
2007 - Vanderbilt University
2006 - Fairleigh Dickinson University
2005 - University of Nebraska
2004 - University of Nebraska