Statesmen Finish Fourth at NAIA West Regional Weekend
Lawrence, Kan.–The William Penn men’s bowling team did well in head-to-head competition as it battled at the NAIA West Regional #1 and #2 Saturday and Sunday.
In a unique format, the event was split into two separate tournaments, with each day featuring head-to-head matchups against other programs. The team with the best match play record at the end of the weekend was crowned champion. Total pinfall was used if a tiebreaker was necessary.
In Saturday’s five individual games, WPU was sixth in total pinfall with 4,832 pins yet posted a 4-1 match play record.
On Sunday (25 Baker games), the navy and gold produced a 3-2 match play record and knocked down 4,488 pins for a final weekend tally of 9,321 pins. Despite ranking 10th in total pinfall, the Statesmen managed a 7-3 record and ended up fourth overall out of 16 programs.
In individual play on Saturday, Ricardo Avila of Kansas paced the standings with 1,104 pins for a 220.8 average.
Aidan Piet (Jr., Meridian, Idaho, Business Management) was right behind Avila, placing second with 1,096 pins and a 219.2 average. All five of his games were in the 200s with a high of 238.
Carter Boley (Sr., Grimes, Iowa, Exercise Science) was in the top 15 as well, finishing 13th with a 206.8 average in five games. Mathew Smith (Jr., Mountain Home, Idaho, Sports Management), at 177.2, started five rounds as well.
Ethan Licht (So., Victor, Iowa, Sports Management) averaged 173.0 pins in four games, while Ethan Zieglowsky (Sr., Washington, Iowa, Biology) had a 183.7 clip in three starts.
Gavin Unger (Fr., Columbus, Neb., Engineering Technology) notched a 191.5 mark in two rounds, and Michael Decker (Fr., Independence, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) knocked down 190 pins in his lone start.
William Penn’s JV team was also on the lanes and placed ninth out of 10 reserve squads with a 3-7 record. The Statesmen managed 8,546 pins for the eighth-most in that category.
Aidan Majer (So., Yorkville, Ill., General Accounting) headlined the JV roster with a 197.8 average.
“The guys had a solid weekend,” Head Coach Kirstin Foster said. “Overall, there were a lot of positives to build upon. Our team chemistry and communication were awesome, and Aidan Piet had a great weekend. We still have some work to do to get the scoring where it needs to be, but I am confident in the group to get it done.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Indianapolis, Ind. Saturday and Sunday as it wraps up its regular season at the Hoosier Classic.
