William Penn Women’s Bowling Strikes Gold Twice at NAIA West Weekend
Lawrence, Kan.–The Statesmen women’s bowling team dominated the lanes this past weekend, securing gold on both days of the NAIA West Weekend in a unique competition format.
The event was split into two separate tournaments, with each day featuring head-to-head matchups against other programs. The team with the best match play record at the end of the day was crowned champion.
William Penn got off to a strong start on Saturday. Competing in five rounds of individual play, the Statesmen placed first out of 17 teams with a perfect 5-0 match play record, totaling 4,564 pins.
The team carried its momentum into Sunday’s Baker format competition, rolling through 25 games and once again claiming the top spot in the 17-team field. WPU posted a 4.5-0.5 match play record and tallied 4,947 pins to secure another gold medal.
Overall, the Statesmen finished the weekend with an impressive 9.5-0.5 record and a total of 9,511 pins.
In individual play on Saturday, Lucy Mitchell (So., Poulsbo, Wash., Psychology and Human Services) led the way among 106 competitors, knocking down 1,029 pins across five games for an impressive 205.8 average. She surpassed the 200-pin mark in four of her five rounds.
Caitlin Radliff (Sr., Belleville, Ill., Software Engineering) followed with a strong fifth-place finish, averaging 191.6 over five games. Danielle Fincham (So., Suprise, Ariz., Exercise Science) (191.5) and Sammantha Meyers (Sr., Rockford, Ill., Elementary Education) (168.3) each competed in four rounds.
Ashley Gorman (Fr., Stillwater, Minn., Exercise Science) averaged 177.5 pins in her two games, while Olivia Pilcher (Jr., Ottumwa, Iowa, Exercise Science) (158.0) and Isabel Diaz (Sr., Kissimmee, Fla., Fine Arts) (144.5) also played two rounds apiece. Kelcey Aczon (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Nursing) contributed with a 178-pin effort in her lone game.
“The ladies bowled great this weekend. JV girls had to cross with varsity teams, and they won several matches. They also had a set that they were the 3rd high set compared to varsity teams which is a huge accomplishment,” Head Coach Kirstin Foster said. “Varsity girls started off strong and never looked back. They had a couple matches that came down to the final game, and they pushed through to secure the win.”
She continued, “Both teams played parts of the lane they weren’t comfortable with and executed great shots. This weekend helped build confidence for the team going into the postseason and we are going to keep working to be more prepared.”
Next Up: William Penn closes out its regular season at the Hoosier Classic in Indianapolis, Ind., February 15-16.
