Rok Kostric: The Most Interesting Man at William Penn

William Penn University Athletics

by David Decker

Rok Kostric will likely never get his own set of Mexican beer commercials, but few can disagree that he could make a run for being the Most Interesting Man at William Penn University.

First off, the sophomore men’s bowler from Koper, Slovenia is not even competing collegiately in his best sport. Handball also grabbed his interest as a young athlete, starting when he was 6 years old and played for 12 years.

“I played goalkeeper which is the most idiotic position to play because you are continuously pelted by balls,” Rok said. “I didn’t want to quit, but there was more opportunity to be had in bowling.”

Rok reluctantly gave up handball for bowling and immediately saw success. He started with a 12-pound house ball. However, it wasn’t long before the coach of the national team saw him and asked if he would like to continue on at a more competitive level. Now Rok is a member of Team Slovenia with his brother Aleksander. Both were so good that they received scholarships from William Penn and can now be found on the Oskaloosa campus.

“The reason for coming to the States was not only to go to school, but the level of competition is far better than anything internationally,” Rok said.

Rok and Aleksander, who both major in Sports Management, were understandably homesick early on, but the nerves subsided with the help of their teammates, coaches and new friends.

Rok’s bowling game went in line with that as he found his groove after a short time and began to excel at a high level.

“I started off slow, but I was given a chance and I went in and took care of business,” Rok said. “From there it just kind of took off and I was trusted to get into the game to help my team.”

“Rok was literally our ‘rock’ last season; we could rely on him to come up and get the win for our team,” Teammate Curtis Majka said.

Others from the team stated the same thing, but most importantly they believe that no one has more heart and love for the game than Rok.

Rok’s freshman year finally came into full-force midway through the season and only got better as he helped lead the Statesmen back to NAIA Nationals as well as USBC Nationals. At NAIA Nationals, he was earned all-tournament team honors; the squad ended up reaching the semis in both national tournaments.

Rok capped off an amazing season with a 201.2 average over 34 games. While that mark is quite impressive from a freshman, it is doubly incredible as he accomplished the feat injured. Kostric was, and still is, playing with torn elbow ligaments in his throwing arm, enduring excruciating pain on every shot and limiting his amount of practice. Sometimes he sits out altogether. He is so good, though, that he can do this, yet still stay competitive during the weekends.

“Rok is just filled with the fire and drive to be the best he can be, while caring for his teammates as much as he can on or off the lanes,” Aleksander said. “Rok is the guy you want when you need to get it done. He comes in clutch at crucial moments and that’s what our team needs.”

Rok, or Billy as he is affectionately referred to by his friends and teammates–he can thank his brother for that random moniker–enjoys hanging out with the bowling team and playing video games such as FIFA and many other sports games. He also enjoys working out in order to blow off steam from a hard day.

“I consider the bowling team my second family,” Rok said. “I am away from my family for the entire school year and for me that is a problem, but our team is so tight that it seems like they have been there all my life. I have more brothers and sisters than I could ask for. Every time I have a problem or am feeling down, they are there. I wouldn’t change my team for the world.”

Rok, who currently owns a 195.2 average (23 games) this season, is a lover of American BBQ. He is enjoying his time in the States and competing here, but relishes every chance he gets to return to his native Slovenia. After Rok graduates he wants to try and make career from bowling here as long as his elbow holds up, but will most likely return home at some point.

“I am happy with where I am at in life and I hope for great success here at Penn,” Rok said. “I hope I can bring a national title here, not only for me, but my team and the WPU community.”