Statesmen Close Campaign with Top-10 Effort at USBC Sectionals

Smyrna, Tenn.--The William Penn men's bowling team performed better than its ranking, but unfortunately could not steal a berth to nationals as it competed at the USBC Team Sectionals Saturday and Sunday.

WPU finished eighth out of 20 teams with 12,591 pins in 64 Baker games.  Webber International (Fla.) topped the field with 13,666 pins, while Belmont Abbey (N.C.), Purdue (Ind.), and SCAD Savannah (Ga.) also qualified for USBC Nationals next month.

The navy and gold, who had the 13th-highest ranking among the 20 programs, came out hot as they were third after the first 16 games with 3,352 pins.  Of those 16 games, 10 were in the 200s with a high of 279.

William Penn failed to keep up with the pace, however, fading a bit in each of the next three 16-game sets.  The Statesmen recorded a total of 31 games in the 200s, finishing just 421 pins out of a qualifying slot.

Individuals who competed in the team event included Carter Boley (Sr., Grimes, Iowa, Exercise Science), Cooper Huston (Sr., Durant, Iowa, Sports Management), Ethan Licht (So., Victor, Iowa, Sports Management), Aidan Majer (So., Yorkville, Ill., General Accounting), Aidan Piet (Jr., Meridian, Idaho, Business Management), Mathew Smith (Jr., Mountain Home, Idaho, Sports Management), Gavin Unger (Fr., Columbus, Neb., Engineering Technology), and Ethan Zieglowsky (Sr., Washington, Iowa, Biology).

On Friday, a handful of WPU bowlers also competed in the USBC Singles Sectionals.  Piet was the top navy and gold roller as he was 15th with 1,281 pins in the six-game competition.  The top five bowlers qualified for next month's nationals.

Majer was next with 1,172 pins, while Smith (1,057), Boley (1,003 pins), and Zieglowsky (964) also participated in the Singles event.

"The guys bowled great," Head Coach Kirstin Foster said.  "They started off Saturday as one of the top teams in the field, and stayed strong throughout the day.  Unfortunately, the scoring pace was higher on Sunday, and it was difficult to keep up.  While the outcome was not what we wanted, I am proud of everything they accomplished this season.  They had a lot of adversity thrown at them, and they just dug in and worked harder.  That hard work showed this past weekend.  I am sad to see our seniors go, but I am thankful for everything they put into the program."