RUSTON, La. - The Lady Techsters faced ten nationally ranked bowling teams, including the top three teams in the country, this past weekend as Louisiana Tech finished in 16th place at the fourth annual Track Kat Klash, which was hosted by Sam Houston State at Emerald Lanes in Houston.

LA Tech, led by head coach Jerry Miles, had two players finish in the Top 50 individually as Shelby Smith placed 44th and Harley DeKeyzer finished 47th among more than 100 bowlers. The Lady Techsters closed out the three-day tournament with a 9-6 record as a team with a 160.0 average, while the No. 1 ranked team in the nation took home the title with Nebraska finishing the weekend with a 14-1 record.

Of the 18 teams competing in the annual tournament, Louisiana Tech topped both Texas Southern and Grambling State in the final standings with the Lady Techsters totaling a pin fall of 11,831 over the course of three days.

Sophomore Shelby Smith led the way for the Lady Techsters with yet another Top 50 finish in individual competition, as the Cabot, Arkansas native played in six games with an average score of 174.83. LA Tech's Harley DeKeyzer also put together a nice day on the lanes individually, placing 47th with an average of 171.17 in six games.

Both Kelsey Calzaretta and Tynea Starks were just shy of the Top 50 with Calzaretta totaling 903 pins (150.5 average) in six games to finish the day ranked 57th, while Starks was just behind her in 62nd place with an average of 145.83 over the course of six games.

The Track Kat Klash wrapped up the first half of LA Tech's schedule, as the Lady Techsters will not return to action until after the new year with the team traveling to compete in the Mid-Winter Classic on Jan. 16, 2015 in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

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