WPU Heading to Nationals for Third Year in a Row
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Dallas, Texas–The Statesmen men’s bowling team was determined to get back to the final site and accomplished its goal as it competed at the USBC Intercollegiate Team Sectionals Saturday and Sunday.
William Penn finished third out of 18 teams with 12,550 pins in 64 Baker games. Its top-four finish gives it a spot in the national tournament field, its fourth trip to the final site in program history and the third straight.
Joining WPU will be sectional champion Wichita State (Kan.) (13,050 pins) as well as McKendree (Ill.) and Grand Canyon (Ariz.). The navy and gold held off fifth place Iowa Central CC by 325 pins.
The Statesmen were third after 16 games, but dropped to fourth at the midway point of the tournament. They bounced back into the top three and stayed there the remainder of the event.
William Penn now qualifies for the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships from April 15-20 in Dayton, Ohio. Only 16 teams–four from each of the four sectionals–make the final site. The Statesmen will be seeking to improve upon their semifinal finish from last year.
Team members included David Decker (Jr.., Peyton, Colo., Physical Education), Aleksander Kostric (So., Koper, Slovenia, Sports Management), Rok Kostric (So., Koper, Slovenia, Sports Management), Albert Liggins (Fr., Ravanel, S.C.), Curtis Majka (Sr., Elgin, Ill., Mechanical Engineering), Logan Mason (Sr., Knoxville, Iowa, Business Management), Jayson Miner (Fr., Silvis, Ill., Physical Education), and Nick Walker (Sr., Zeeland, Mich., Business Management).
“The men bowled really well all the way through,” Head Coach Brandon Brooks said. “They had a mix of bad games in there, as you can expect when bowling 64 games, but they had a short-term memory and went back at it the next game. They were able to give themselves a nice lead on fifth place going into the final set, so it was really fun to be able to watch them get loose and enjoy it.”
“Our team represented William Penn with class,” Brooks added. “We did not forget about showing great sportsmanship to teams who qualified and those who did not. Qualifying is awesome, but the way our team did it–with class–is really something to be proud of.”
The ITC Sectional Singles six-game event was also held Friday, but unfortunately none of the William Penn bowlers were able to qualify for nationals.
In a field that consisted of 172 rollers, Walker and Rok Kostric led the Statesmen in 33rd place as each had 1,177 pins. The top five individuals (the final spot was secured with 1,274 pins) qualified for singles nationals next month.
Miner was right behind his teammates with 1,176 pins, while Majka (1,114), Liggins (1,111), Mason (1,111), Aleksander Kostric (1,104), and Decker (646 in four games) also competed.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Topeka, Kan. March 28-30 to compete in the NAIA Invitational.
