William Penn Makes Semifinal Appearance at Leatherneck Classic
Davenport–Top-20 finishes from Cydnee Whiteleather (Jr., Lehigh Acres, Fla., Elementary Education) and Caitlin Radliff (So., Belleville, Ill., Software Engineering) lifted the William Penn women’s bowling team to another strong effort as it battled at the ISYL Leatherneck Classic last Saturday and Sunday.
WPU placed fourth out of 35 teams in qualifying with 8,675 pins, while Wichita State (Kan.) topped the standings with 9,387 pins.
The Statesmen earned a berth in match play (top eight qualified) and then took down #5 seed St. Francis (Ill.) 2-0 in the quarterfinals. They then claimed the first game against Wichita State, but could not close it out with a 2-1 setback in the semifinals. Second-seeded Mount Mercy eventually knocked off WSU 2-0 in the championship match.
Wichita State’s Madison Janack led the 281-woman field with an average of 235.5 (1,413 pins). Whitleather was also high in the ranks, ending up 15th with a 196.5 average (1,179 pins), while Radliff was just three spots and 10 pins behind her at 194.8.
Madison Ross (Sr., Charles City, Iowa, Exercise Science) was next as she averaged 194.6 pins through five games, while Alexis Lake (Sr., Kaysville, Utah, Nursing) posted a 191.0 clip, also in five rounds.
Gabi Evans (Sr., West Liberty, Iowa, Psychology and Sociology) posted a 174.5 mark in four games, while Isabel Diaz (So., Kissimmee, Fla., Communications) posted a 214.3 average in three bouts. Olivia Pilcher (Fr., Ottumwa, Iowa, Exercise Science) added a 159 in her lone game.
WPU’s reserve squad also performed well, finishing fourth in the JV standings with 7,926 pins; Christy Mottier (Sr., Madison, Wis., Business Management) led the team with a 175.3 average.
“The ladies started off great on Saturday,” Head Coach Kirstin Foster said. “Sunday was unfortunately a slower start for us, but we heated up again during match play to get through the first round. Our match against Wichita State was hard-fought with every game coming down to the final frame, but they got the better of us. Our spares improved immensely from our previous tournaments. We continue to prove that we are a contending team.”
Next up: The Statesmen travel to Addison, Ill. on December 3-4 to compete in the Warhawk Open.
