Valparaiso bowling head coach Matt Nantais announced the Crusaders' 2013-2014 schedule on Friday, a slate which includes tournaments at six of the nation's top-seven teams and the fifth annual Crusader Classic at Inman's Nov. 8-10.

The season begins with the Warhawk Classic, an exhibition event hosted by UW-Whitewater on Oct. 26. The regular season commences at the New Jersey Jamboree, hosted by Fairleigh Dickinson Nov. 1-3.

The Crusaders then come home for the annual Crusader Classic at Inman's Bowling and Recreation Center the following weekend. In its fifth season, this year's Crusader Classic field is loaded, as seven of the nation's top-nine teams from last year's final NTCA poll will be coming to Valpo to compete for the tournament title.

Two weekends later, Valpo will travel to Nebraska for the Big Red Invitational, the Crusaders' final tournament of the 2013 calendar year. Once the calendar flips to 2014, Valpo will travel to tournaments hosted by Arkansas State, Kutztown, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston State, Central Missouri and Vanderbilt over a span of eight weekends.

The ultimate goal for the Crusader bowlers is to make the program's second-ever appearance at the NCAA Championships, to be held this year Apr. 10-12 in Cleveland, Ohio. The nation's top-eight teams will make the trip to Cleveland to compete for the national title.