Statesmen Claim First Title in Four Years
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Erlanger, Ky./Louisville, Ky.–The William Penn men’s bowling team returned to the top of the mountain for the first time since 2014 as it competed in a pair of one-day tournaments over the weekend.
WPU won Sunday’s Eagle Classic for its first crown since the 2013-2014 campaign. It is the fifth championship in program history.
Norse Classic
On Saturday at the Norse Collegiate Classic, WPU was second out of 19 teams with 7,354 pins in five regular games and 12 Baker games. Calumet-St. Joseph (Ind.) claimed the team win with 7,923 pins.
CCSJ also had the top individual in Shaun Quinn with a 234.0 average.
Curtis Majka (Sr., Elgin, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) guided the Statesmen with a 212.6 clip. Nick Walker (Jr., Zeeland, Mich., Business Management) was also over the 200-pin mark with a 203.2 average.
Quincy Bruce (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, General Accounting) posted a 196.6 average, while David Decker (So., Peyton, Colo., Physical Education) was at 193.0.
Aleksander Kostric (Fr., Koper, Slovenia, Sports Management) tallied a 190.3 mark in four starts, while Rok Kostric (Fr., Koper, Slovenia, Sports Management) knocked down 128 pins in his lone game.
WPU’s JV squad managed 6,953 pins to also take second in its division. Josh Fane (So., Brownsville, Wis., Business Management and Accounting) opened an incredible weekend by placing second (named to all-tournament team) with a 224.6 average.
Bret Keimig (Sr., Davenport, Iowa, Physical Education) joined Fane on the all-tourney team, finishing fifth at 222.6.
Logan Mason (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Business Management) also started all five rounds and recorded a 184.0 mark.
Mike Comstock (Fr., Pella, Iowa, General Accounting) had a 188.5 clip in four games, while Rylie Reidel (Sr., Knoxville, Iowa, Business Management) averaged 167.0 pins in four starts. Austin Young (Fr., Iowa City, Iowa, Business Management) (147) and Alex Mitterer (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) (142) also started one game Saturday.
Eagle Classic
On Sunday at the Eagle Classic, WPU clipped the entire 12-team field with 6,976 pins in five regular games and three sets of Baker play. Emmanuel (Ga.) was second with 6,881 pins.
Just like the varsity crew did from the day before, Fane also improved one position, winning the individual title with a 212.2 average (1,061 pins).
It is William Penn’s first champion (10th overall) since Jacques Kaune won the Sandhills Collegiate Classic in 2015-2016. The sophomore had four rounds over 200 with a high game of 225.
Majka and Rok Kostric guided the varsity as they tied for seventh at 192.4. Walker was next at 185.2, while Bruce also rolled all five games with a 180.4 average.
Decker averaged 177.0 pins in three games, and Aleksander Kostric posted a 172.0 mark in two rounds.
The Statesmen JV team placed first as well (two teams) with 6,439 pins. Keimig owned a 177.0 average, while Reidel tallied a 161.0 clip; both individuals started all five games.
Mason (four games) managed a 175.8 average, while the trio of Comstock (153.5), Mitterer (149.5), and Young (145.0) all had two starts apiece.
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.
