Statesmen Pick Up First Win of Campaign
West Lawrence, Kan.–The William Penn men’s bowling team notched its first victory of the season as it competed in back-to-back one-day tournaments at the NAIA Weekend-West Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, WPU qualified fifth out of 18 teams with 7,280 pins in five individual games and 12 Baker games. Hastings (Neb.) took the top spot with 7,558 pins.
In the eight-team match play event, the navy and gold took down #4 seed Peru State 2-1 before defeating #7 seed Kansas Wesleyan 2-1 in the semifinals. In the championship bout, the Statesmen got past #6 Culver-Stockton 3-2 for the crown.
It is the program’s first tournament win since taking the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship last year.
Brandon Ogden of Midland (Neb.) was the overall best individual bowler with a 237.8 average (1,189 pins).
Bryce Keykal (Jr., Princeton, Minn., Education) posted a top-15 finish, placing 14th with a 208.2 clip (1,041 pins), while Noah Kidwell (Fr., Bettendorf, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) (200.8, 20th) and Aidan Piet (Fr., Meridian, Idaho, Business Management) (200.0, 21st) also eclipsed the 200-pin mark.
Conor Fetherston (So., Dublin, Ireland, Software Engineering) was not far behind with a 192.8 average, also in five rounds, while Kody Sapp (Sr., Donnelson, Iowa, Industrial Technology) averaged 184.5 pins in four games.
Jared Smith (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, General Accounting) completed the varsity scoring with a 150 in his lone game.
William Penn’s reserve team was also on the lanes over the weekend and took second out of seven teams Saturday with 6,836 pins. Justen Dostal (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Software Engineering) headlined the JV efforts with a 186.6 average (933 pins).
On Sunday, WPU finished sixth out of 18 teams with 6,218 pins in seven individual games. Hastings again paced the field (6,571 pins).
Eric Moore of Central Methodist was the top bowler with a 203.1 average (1,422 pins), while Keykal again put himself in the mix as he was sixth at 195.1 (1,366 pins).
Fetherston (182.4), Smith (181.2), and Carter Boley (So., Grimes, Iowa, Engineering) (173.0) each started five rounds, while Kidwell owned a 174.8 mark in four games.
Marcus Yamada (Sr., Kenai, Alaska, Business Management) averaged 172.0 pins in three games, while Sapp (163.0) and Piet (155.0) started three rounds as well.
The Statesmen reserve team won the JV title, placing first out of seven squads with 6,033 pins. Garraty Richmond (Sr., Ottumwa, Iowa, New Media) was his crew’s top bowler with a 180.9 average (1,266 pins).
“We had a great weekend with a lot of positives we can take away,” Head Coach Cameron Foster said. “Saturday’s win was one I felt was coming all year; it is really nice to get one as the season winds down. We will take this momentum into this week’s practice as we prepare for the hardest tournament of the season.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Indianapolis, Ind. Saturday and Sunday to compete in the Hoosier Classic.
