WPU Wins Silver at First-Ever Heart Championships
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Topeka, Kan.–The Statesmen men’s bowling team advanced to a winner-take-all final game of the final match, but unfortunately fell just shy of taking the crown at the inaugural Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships Saturday and Sunday.
William Penn qualified second out of six teams with 4,806 pins in 24 Baker games. Grand View earned the top seed with 4,896 pins.
By virtue of being in the top two, the navy and gold earned a bye in the first round. They then took on Clarke and dispatched the Pride 4-1 to reach the semifinals.
WPU remained perfect, clipping Mount Mercy 4-2 in the next round for a berth in the finals.
The Statesmen then met up with Grand View in the championship round and took an early 2-0 advantage. Unfortunately, the Vikings answered with four straight wins to force an ‘if necessary’ match.
GVU continued to roll with three straight game victories, but William Penn showed resolve and fought back to eventually draw even at 3-3. In the end, however, the Statesmen came up just short and dropped the seventh game.
Team members included David Decker (Jr.., Peyton, Colo., Physical Education), Aleksander Kostric (So., Koper, Slovenia, Sports Management), Rok Kostric (So., Koper, Slovenia, Sports Management), Albert Liggins (Fr., Ravanel, S.C.), Curtis Majka (Sr., Elgin, Ill., Mechanical Engineering), Logan Mason (Sr., Knoxville, Iowa, Business Management), Jayson Miner (Fr., Silvis, Ill., Physical Education), and Nick Walker (Sr., Zeeland, Mich., Business Management).
“The men were fantastic all weekend,” Head Coach Brandon Brooks said. “Despite getting into a big hole in the last match, they were able to step up and made shots and fought back to get to a seventh game. They carried themselves like champions the whole day and were really good about having a short-term memory and being able to move on.”
“I am really proud of how they stayed in it with high energy the whole day, all the way down to the final ball,” Brooks added. “This is something that cannot be done by just the five who are bowling. It takes everyone to keep everyone’s head up and keep the energy positive on a day this long with as many games as they bowled. I think we learned a lot of things that will be really valuable at sectionals and when we return to Topeka in a few weeks for the NAIA Invitational.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Dallas, Texas for the USBC Intercollegiate Team and Singles Sectional next Friday through Sunday.
