Palmer Wins Title, Team Earns Two Silvers
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Erlanger, Ky./Louisville, Ky.–Bailey Palmer (So., Ottumwa, Iowa, Undecided) became the first player in William Penn women’s bowling history to top a qualifying field, and the Statesmen fell just shy of team championships as they competed in a pair of one-day tournaments over the weekend.
Norse Classic
On Saturday at the Norse Collegiate Classic, WPU was second out of 15 teams with 7,029 pins in five regular games and 12 Baker games. In what turned out to be a two-team race, Emmanuel (Ga.) rallied in the final few Baker games to clip the Statesmen with 7,122 pins. Emmanuel is currently ranked #10 in the nation.
Guided by the best three bowlers in the field during in regular play, the navy and gold held a 131-pin advantage entering Baker competition, but unfortunately could not close it out.
Palmer guided the 101-player field with a 214.6 average (1,073 total pins). All five of her games eclipsed 200 pins with the sophomore posting a high game of 235.
Palmer’s win is the first in the nine-year history of the program; she has been in the top 25 on four other occasions earlier this season. Her tournament average is also the third-highest in school history.
Audra Farley (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Education) was just 27 pins behind Palmer in second place with a 209.2 average, while Nicole Craft (So., Wakefield, Neb., Physical Education) took third with a 208.0 clip.
Kayla Gifford (So., Camanche, Iowa, Biology) was next with a 170.8 average, also in all five rounds. Amber Ovel (Jr., Waterloo, Iowa, Business Management) averaged 164.0 pins in three games, while Abbey Fangman (Fr., Waterloo, Iowa, Elementary Education) posted a 176.5 mark in two rounds.
Eagle Classic
On Sunday at the Eagle Classic, WPU once again finished second to Emmanuel, recording 6,588 pins in five games and three Baker blocks. Emmanuel was first in the 14-team event with 6,965 pins.
Arianna Campbell of EC won the individual title with a 212.8 average. Palmer cooled off a bit, but still claimed all-tournament honors as she was second at 198.2.
Craft joined her teammate on the all-tourney squad, finishing fifth with a 186.0 average. Farley was in the top 10 as well, placing ninth at 183.8, while Ovel (17th overall) posted a 172.6 clip.
Nicole Mottier (Fr., Madison, Wis., Computer Science) started four games and produced a 177.3 average, while Gifford wrapped up the team’s scoring with a 166 in her lone game.
Next Up: William Penn takes a week off before traveling to Indianapolis, Ind. on February 17-18 to compete in the Hoosier Classic. The event will serve as the regular season finale.
