Lindenwood sophomore Karsyn Braasch and freshman Mike Anderson were among the only 24 men and 24 women that qualified nationally for the 2023 Intercollegiate Singles Championship, but both were eliminated in close matches in the first round Tuesday afternoon at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas.

Both players struggled through six games of preliminary competition with each earning the No. 21 seed. After starting with a solid game of 185, Braasch didn't break 170 in the next three, but finished well with games of 241 and 198 for a final total of 1,112 (185.33 average). Meanwhile, Anderson started slowly through the first half, but also finished well with games of 186, 230, and 191 for a total of 1,119.

With the top eight seeds earning a first-round bye in the single-elimination, three-game total pins bracket, Anderson faced No. 12 seed Charles Bostic from Webber International. After falling behind by over 40 pins in the opening game, Anderson defeated Bostic in game two to close the gap, and was on a roll in game three with a big enough string of strikes to take a lead, but a split in the eighth frame completely changed momentum. Bostic was able to close the gap and finish strong to take the match 648-604.

Braasch also faced a No. 12 seed in Lara Kurt from the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) – Savannah. In a back-and-forth game one, Kurt ultimately prevailed in a 192-177 victory, however she struggled through the first half of game two which gave Braasch a chance to make up the margin and take the lead, but three opens in the final three frames changed the complexion of things again and instead of taking an advantage into the final game, Braasch was instead behind by 36 pins. She came out firing, though with three strikes in the first four frames, but an open in the fifth allowed Kurt to make up some ground. Both players remained solid through the final half of the game and while Braasch won 212-192, it wasn't enough to complete the comeback in a 553-537 loss.

The Lions and Lady Lions will now turn their attention to the Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC) beginning on Thursday. After 24 games of baker qualifying, the 16 men's teams and 16 women's teams will be seeded into a best-of-seven, double-elimination baker bracket. The two surviving teams through Friday in each division will face each other in the best-of-five championship finals on Saturday.