Statesmen Return to Top of MCC
William Penn University Athletics
Cedar Rapids–The William Penn men’s bowling team dominated from start to finish to win its first league crown in three years at the Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships Saturday and Sunday.
The Statesmen led after six games of regular qualifying and kept the edge through an additional 16 Baker games, tallying 9,615 pins entering bracket play. Clarke was a distant second with 9,306 pins.
Clarke then took on #3 seed Mount Mercy in the first round of knockout play and defeated the Mustangs 3-2. The break did not affect the navy and gold, though, as they easily dispatched the Crusaders 4-1 in the finals.
It is the program’s second title in the four years the league has sponsored a championship. The Statesmen also won the inaugural trophy in 2011.
Drew Balta (Sr., Walford, Iowa, Education) utilized the highest single game of the tournament to top qualifying. The senior tallied a 290 in his fourth game and finished with a 233.2 average (1,399 pins). He edged teammate Cameron Foster (Sr., West Jordan, Utah, Business Management) by only 35 pins.
Foster owned a 227.3 clip to finish second, while Jacques Kaune (So., Anchorage, Alaska, Business Management) was fifth at 212.7.
Brandon Barboza (Jr., Brick, N.J., Sociology) just missed the top ten, taking 13th at 202.7. Piet Schaeffer (Sr., Livingston, Scotland, General Mathematics) averaged 196.4 pins in five games, while Travis Scott (So., West Saint Paul, Minn., Physical Education) knocked down 213 pins in his lone game.
WPU also had a JV team in action. The Statesmen topped the four non-varsity teams in competition, placing sixth overall with 8,684 pins.
Ryan Howard (Fr., King, N.C., Music) led the crew with a 204.2 average, while Lucas Perdieu (Fr., DeWitt, Iowa, Public Accounting) had a 197.5 mark. Ethan Noble (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Business Management) also rolled in all six games and posted a 189.5 average.
Michael Applegate (So., Council Bluffs, Iowa, Undecided) managed a 178.0 tally in five games, while Connor Frederick (Jr., Ottumwa, Iowa, History/Government) retired 135.0 pins per match over a three-game stretch. Stian Hoff (Fr., Orkanger, Norway, Accounting), at 169.5, and Eric Smith (Sr., Glenwood, Iowa, Industrial Technology), at 165.0, bowled in two games each, while Cody Adair (Fr., Salt Lake City, Utah, Undecided) produced a score of 195 in his only game.
Next: William Penn enters postseason play in two weeks by traveling to Fort Worth, Texas for the xBowling Team Sectionals on Saturday and Sunday, March 15-16. The singles tournament will open the weekend on Friday, March 14.
