LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland Men's and Women's Bowling will compete in the 2026 NAIA National Championship in Lansing, Michigan, starting on Thursday, March 19th at Royal Scot Lanes.

The NAIA National Tournament will feature a new format, as the 12 teams will play in a double elimination tournament with two separate brackets, which is a red and blue bracket. The blue bracket consists of the No. 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 12 seeds, while the red bracket has the No. 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, and 11 seeds. Each game will be played in the mega-match style, which is a best-of-three format, where the first round is a traditional game, the second is a five-game baker series, and the final round is a best-of-seven series.

Both Phoenix teams will be entering the tournament as the No. 11 seed and will be placed in the red bracket with their first games starting at 8:30 AM. The Men's team will be facing off against the No. 6 seed and reigning champions Marian (Ind.), who won the Crossroads League, in a rematch of last year's first round matchup, where Marian defeated the Phoenix 4-1. The winner advances to play the SSAC Champions, No. 3 seed SCAD-Savannah. 

Meanwhile, the Women's team will have a rematch of the second round of the Midwest Collegiate Classic, as Cumberland will face off against the No. 6 seed Lawrence Tech, with the Phoenix having the upper hand in the last match 2-1, and the winner will face No. 3 seed Milligan in the second round.

If either Phoenix team loses in the first round, they will play their second round matchup against the loser of the fourth game which is the No. 2 seed and the winner of the No. 7 and No. 10 seed matchup to open the second day of the tournament. However, if the Phoenix win in round one, but lose in round two, they will play the loser of the 7 vs 10 matchup. Finally, if the Phoenix go 2-0 on Friday, they will face the winner of the 2 vs 7/10 matchup to open Saturday.

You can watch it live in multiple different ways, with a lane-by-lane coverage streaming on Bowl TV, and a simulcast on the Urban Edge Network and the NAIA Network that has the full coverage of the NAIA Championships. The live stats will be posted on the NAIA Website soon. 

The teams that made the NAIA National Championship:

Men:
 

#1	Mount Mercy (Iowa)
#2	Lawrence Tech (Mich.)
#3	SCAD-Savannah (Ga.)
#4	Calumet-St. Joseph (Ind.)
#5	Indiana Tech
#6	Marian (Ind.)
#7	St. Francis (Ill.)
#8	Aquinas (Mich.)
#9	Spring Arbor (Mich.)
#10	Saint Xavier (Ill.)
#11	Cumberland (Tenn.)
#12	Ottawa (Kan.)

Women:
 

#1	Mount Mercy (Iowa)
#2	Pikeville (Ky.)
#3	Milligan (Tenn.)
#4	SCAD-Savannah (Ga.)
#5	Spring Arbor (Mich.)
#6	Lawrence Tech (Mich.)
#7	Ottawa (Kan.)
#8	William Penn (Iowa)
#9	Calumet-St.Joseph (Ind.)
#10	Morningside (Iowa)
#11	Cumberland (Tenn.)
#12	St. Francis (Ill.)