Collegiate Ticker - Dec. 26, 2024
December 26, 2024
Four Tier I events concluded the excitement for the first half of the 2024-2025 United States Bowling Congress Collegiate season as teams headed to Las Vegas and Pennsylvania last week to compete.
The Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational and Collegiate Shoot-Out were hosted at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas. The Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic was contested at Jordan Lanes in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, and the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic was held across the way at Haja Rose Bowl in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Check out the recaps below to learn more about the top performers at each event.
Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational – Dec. 18-19
The Mount Mercy women and Webber International men kicked off their time in Las Vegas with bracket wins at the Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational.
The event featured eight traditional games over two days at South Point, with the top eight teams in the women’s varsity division and top 16 varsity squads on the men’s side advancing to the bracket. Each round in the single-elimination bracket featured a best-of-five Baker format.
Mount Mercy earned the top seed for the women’s bracket after leading qualifying. The Mustangs averaged over 209 as a team to lead the 38-team field by 124 pins with an 8,370 total. Milligan was second with 8,246, Saint Xavier qualified third with 7,913, and William Penn earned the eighth spot in the bracket by eight pins over Governors State with 7,630.
The Mustangs went the distance in their first two matches, besting William Penn and No. 5 Concordia in Game 5 to work their way to the championship round against Saint Xavier. The Cougars advanced to the finals with wins over No. 6 Calumet (3-0) and Milligan (3-1).
After exchanging the first two games, Mount Mercy won Games 3 (209-185) and 4 (193-155) to record the 3-1 victory.
Milligan’s Emily King posted the top eight-game score in qualifying to earn the individual win, finishing with 1,809 (226.1 average). The all-tournament team also included three student-athletes from Mount Mercy – Carly Zuklin (second with 1,736), McKenzie Mattice (fourth with 1,729) and Brooke Salzman (fifth with 1,719) – and Saint Xavier’s Barbara Lunsford (third with 1,732).
Coe’s Whittney Morse connected for 300 in Game 2 on her way to sixth place with 1,716.
In the men’s division (55 teams), Wichita State cruised to the top spot in qualifying by more than 200 pins with an 8,808 total. Webber earned the No. 2 seed for the bracket with 8,596, and Milligan was third with 8,461. The final team to qualify for the bracket was St. Francis-Illinois in 16th with 7,847.
As the tournament transitioned to bracket play, Webber started to put together some big numbers to move up to the finals. The Warriors averaged more than 227 across 10 Baker games to defeat No. 15 Muskingum (3-0), No. 10 Newman (3-0) and Milligan (3-1) to set up the title tilt against No. 4 St. Ambrose. The Fighting Bees recorded wins against No. 13 William Penn (3-1), No. 5 Tennessee Wesleyan (3-1) and No. 8 Mount Mercy (3-2) to advance.
Webber swept St. Ambrose in the finals (229-212, 205-194, 215-148) to earn the win.
The top two spots for the men’s all-tournament team went to Wichita State. Brandon Bonta led the field with a 1,924 total (240.5 average) and was followed by teammate Josh Hammons (1,883). Student-athletes from Webber claimed the next two spots as Matthew Mesecher (1,838) and Brandon Bohn (1,828) finished third and fourth, respectively. Tennessee Wesleyan’s Cameron Compton rounded out the top five with 1,775.
Coe also connected for a perfect game on the men’s side as Lucas Dolphin went for 300 in Game 2.
Collegiate Shoot-Out – Dec. 20-21
The Webber International men completed the sweep in Las Vegas after claiming their third consecutive win at the Collegiate Shoot-Out.
In the women’s division, Saint Xavier improved from their runner-up finish at the Glenn Carlson Invitational to earn the top spot at the Bowling Plaza during the Collegiate Shoot-Out.
The format at the Collegiate Shoot-Out featured five traditional games and 16 Baker games for qualifying. The top eight teams in both the men’s and women’s varsity divisions advanced to the semifinals.
The first semifinal included the teams ranked first, fourth, fifth and eighth from qualifying. The second semifinal featured the teams that finished second, third, sixth and seventh in the standings. Each match featured four Baker games, with the top two scores from each semifinal advancing to the championship round. The finals were contested in the same fashion, with the top four-game Baker score earning the title.
On the men’s side, Wichita State earned the top seed out of 55 teams, posting a 9,134 total. Mount Mercy was second with 9,100, while Webber qualified third with 8,845. St. Ambrose was the final advancer in eighth with 8,501.
In the first semifinal, No. 5 Oklahoma Christian (878) and St. Ambrose (867) narrowly advanced ahead of Wichita State (861). No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan finished fourth with 811.
Mount Mercy cruised to the top spot in the second semifinal with 924, while Webber (879) edged No. 6 Newman by three pins (876). No. 7 Saint Xavier was fourth with 731.
Webber started strong in the finals with 266 and didn’t look back, recording the victory by nearly 90 pins with 902. St. Ambrose finished second with 813, while Oklahoma Christian (810) and Mount Mercy (756) finished third and fourth, respectively.
Mount Mercy’s Zach Andresen led the men’s individual standings after firing a 1,232 total for five games (246.4 average). Wichita State’s Spencer Robarge (1,215), Calumet’s Mason Doan (1,183), Saint Xavier’s Bobby Habetler (1,172) and St. Ambrose’s Tyler Close (1,154) also finished in the top five.
Habetler posted 300 in Game 4 on his way to the top five.
Mount Mercy paced the women’s field (38 teams) in qualifying, taking the top spot by nearly 150 pins with 7,953. Saint Xavier qualified second with 7,806, and Coe was third with 7,793. Saint Vincent was the final qualifier for the semifinals with 7,658.
Saint Vincent (828) and Mount Mercy (791) easily advanced out of the first semifinal as No. 4 Spring Arbor (718) and No. 5 Concordia (682) were eliminated.
No. 7 Morningside (832) and Saint Xavier (782) also rolled to the finals, as No. 6 Milligan (685) and Coe (663) did not advance.
The tightly contested championship round featured just 24 pins of separation from first to third heading into the final Baker game. Saint Xavier posted 181 in Game 4 to go around Mount Mercy and earn the victory by 10 pins with 778. Mount Mercy finished as the runner-up with 768, Saint Vincent took third with 740 and Morningside placed fourth with 710.
Mount Mercy’s Brooke Salzman earned her second top five in Las Vegas by leading the women’s individual standings at the Collegiate Shoot-Out with 1,129 (225.8 average). Coe’s Whittney Morse was second with 1,064, while Mount Mercy’s Nada Abdul Jalil (1,055), St. Ambrose’s Marissa Bills (1,049) and Governors State’s Olivia Daujatas (1,041) also finished in the top five.
Women’s results from the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic and Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic – Dec. 18-21
The women’s field hit the lanes first at Jordan Lanes for the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic, with Pikeville cruising to victory.
The format included five traditional games and 20 Baker games, with total pinfall determining the champion. The women’s field featured 12 varsity teams.
The Bears built a sizeable lead after the traditional block as the only team to average over 200. They continued to add onto their advantage during the Baker set to record the win by 519 pins with a 9,156 total.
Lawrence Tech finished second with 8,637, while Cumberland bested Trine by 20 pins for third with 8,523.
Along with the team win, Pikeville placed three student-athletes in the top five of the individual standings. Katarina Hagler and Kristina Catoe shared top honors for the Bears with 1,091 (218.2 average), while Kelsey Cummings took fifth with 1,043. Lawrence Tech’s Brooke Kochel was third with 1,064, and Trine’s Megan Timm finished fourth with 1,061.
Pikeville continued their dominance as they made their way to Haja Rose Bowl for the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic, winning by 342 pins with a final score of 8,575.
The format remained the same at the Keystone Quaker Classic, with 11 varsity squads competing in the women’s field.
Trine placed second with 8,233 and finished just ahead of Cumberland (8,216).
With the sweep, Pikeville now owns three Tier I wins on the season (Bowlero Southern Classic).
Pikeville again had three student-athletes in the top five of the individual standings at the Keystone Quaker Classic. Catoe added a second win for the trip and led the field with 1,049 for five games (209.8 average), while Brianna Rogers finished second with 1,031. Cummings moved up two spots from the first event and tied Trine’s Alissa VanHorn for third with 993. Cumberland’s Alyssa Campbell placed fifth with 980.
Men’s results from the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic and Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic – Dec. 18-21
The Indiana Tech men made a tremendous comeback in Baker competition to collect the win at the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic.
The Keystone Quaker Classic featured five traditional games and 20 Baker games in the men’s division. A total of 18 varsity squads competed at Haja Rose Bowl.
After the traditional block, Indiana Tech was in sixth place and trailing Lawrence Tech by 299 pins. The Warriors averaged more than 217 during the Baker set to quickly make their way toward the top of the standings. A 212 effort in the final game was just enough to push the Warriors to the top spot by 10 pins with 9,373.
Lawrence Tech finished second with 9,363, and Trine was third at the Keystone Quaker Classic with 9,275.
Lawrence Tech’s Noah Samuels led the men’s individual standings with a five-game tally of 1,147 (229.4 average). Samuels was followed in the top five by Pikeville’s Elijah Mayberry (1,134), Trine’s Hayden Hale (1,131), Lawrence Tech teammate Michael Weber (1,091) and Robert Morris-Pennsylvania’s Clay Thomas (1,089).
Severo Gordon of Robert Morris-Pennsylvania rolled the lone 300 at the Keystone Quaker Classic during Game 2.
Pikeville captured the win at the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic to conclude the week in Pennsylvania, finishing strong in the Baker set.
The format stayed the same at Jordan Lanes, and only eight pins separated Marian-Wisconsin (5,470), Lawrence Tech (5,466) and Pikeville (5,462) after the traditional block. The Bears went to work during the 20 Baker games, posting only two scores below 200 while averaging more than 225 to record the win by 181 pins with 9,978.
Lawrence Tech was the runner-up with 9,797, and Marian-Wisconsin finished third with 9,723. A total of 21 teams competed in the men’s varsity division at the Lehigh Valley Classic.
In the men’s individual standings, Marian-Wisconsin’s Jaysen Spanbauer averaged more than 240 for his five games to take top honors with a 1,204 total. Florida State’s Thomas McLaughlin was second with 1,160. SUNY-Stony Brook’s Henry Hecht (1,159), Indiana Tech’s Cameron Kilgore (1,154) and Lawrence Tech’s Connor Nowak (1,144) rounded out the top five.
Competition on the USBC Collegiate schedule will resume Jan. 11, 2025. For the full schedule of collegiate events, results and more, visit BOWL.com/Collegiate and CollegeBowling.Bowl.com.
The Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational and Collegiate Shoot-Out were hosted at the South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas. The Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic was contested at Jordan Lanes in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, and the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic was held across the way at Haja Rose Bowl in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Check out the recaps below to learn more about the top performers at each event.
Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational – Dec. 18-19
The Mount Mercy women and Webber International men kicked off their time in Las Vegas with bracket wins at the Glenn Carlson Las Vegas Invitational.
The event featured eight traditional games over two days at South Point, with the top eight teams in the women’s varsity division and top 16 varsity squads on the men’s side advancing to the bracket. Each round in the single-elimination bracket featured a best-of-five Baker format.
Mount Mercy earned the top seed for the women’s bracket after leading qualifying. The Mustangs averaged over 209 as a team to lead the 38-team field by 124 pins with an 8,370 total. Milligan was second with 8,246, Saint Xavier qualified third with 7,913, and William Penn earned the eighth spot in the bracket by eight pins over Governors State with 7,630.
The Mustangs went the distance in their first two matches, besting William Penn and No. 5 Concordia in Game 5 to work their way to the championship round against Saint Xavier. The Cougars advanced to the finals with wins over No. 6 Calumet (3-0) and Milligan (3-1).
After exchanging the first two games, Mount Mercy won Games 3 (209-185) and 4 (193-155) to record the 3-1 victory.
Milligan’s Emily King posted the top eight-game score in qualifying to earn the individual win, finishing with 1,809 (226.1 average). The all-tournament team also included three student-athletes from Mount Mercy – Carly Zuklin (second with 1,736), McKenzie Mattice (fourth with 1,729) and Brooke Salzman (fifth with 1,719) – and Saint Xavier’s Barbara Lunsford (third with 1,732).
Coe’s Whittney Morse connected for 300 in Game 2 on her way to sixth place with 1,716.
In the men’s division (55 teams), Wichita State cruised to the top spot in qualifying by more than 200 pins with an 8,808 total. Webber earned the No. 2 seed for the bracket with 8,596, and Milligan was third with 8,461. The final team to qualify for the bracket was St. Francis-Illinois in 16th with 7,847.
As the tournament transitioned to bracket play, Webber started to put together some big numbers to move up to the finals. The Warriors averaged more than 227 across 10 Baker games to defeat No. 15 Muskingum (3-0), No. 10 Newman (3-0) and Milligan (3-1) to set up the title tilt against No. 4 St. Ambrose. The Fighting Bees recorded wins against No. 13 William Penn (3-1), No. 5 Tennessee Wesleyan (3-1) and No. 8 Mount Mercy (3-2) to advance.
Webber swept St. Ambrose in the finals (229-212, 205-194, 215-148) to earn the win.
The top two spots for the men’s all-tournament team went to Wichita State. Brandon Bonta led the field with a 1,924 total (240.5 average) and was followed by teammate Josh Hammons (1,883). Student-athletes from Webber claimed the next two spots as Matthew Mesecher (1,838) and Brandon Bohn (1,828) finished third and fourth, respectively. Tennessee Wesleyan’s Cameron Compton rounded out the top five with 1,775.
Coe also connected for a perfect game on the men’s side as Lucas Dolphin went for 300 in Game 2.
Collegiate Shoot-Out – Dec. 20-21
The Webber International men completed the sweep in Las Vegas after claiming their third consecutive win at the Collegiate Shoot-Out.
In the women’s division, Saint Xavier improved from their runner-up finish at the Glenn Carlson Invitational to earn the top spot at the Bowling Plaza during the Collegiate Shoot-Out.
The format at the Collegiate Shoot-Out featured five traditional games and 16 Baker games for qualifying. The top eight teams in both the men’s and women’s varsity divisions advanced to the semifinals.
The first semifinal included the teams ranked first, fourth, fifth and eighth from qualifying. The second semifinal featured the teams that finished second, third, sixth and seventh in the standings. Each match featured four Baker games, with the top two scores from each semifinal advancing to the championship round. The finals were contested in the same fashion, with the top four-game Baker score earning the title.
On the men’s side, Wichita State earned the top seed out of 55 teams, posting a 9,134 total. Mount Mercy was second with 9,100, while Webber qualified third with 8,845. St. Ambrose was the final advancer in eighth with 8,501.
In the first semifinal, No. 5 Oklahoma Christian (878) and St. Ambrose (867) narrowly advanced ahead of Wichita State (861). No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan finished fourth with 811.
Mount Mercy cruised to the top spot in the second semifinal with 924, while Webber (879) edged No. 6 Newman by three pins (876). No. 7 Saint Xavier was fourth with 731.
Webber started strong in the finals with 266 and didn’t look back, recording the victory by nearly 90 pins with 902. St. Ambrose finished second with 813, while Oklahoma Christian (810) and Mount Mercy (756) finished third and fourth, respectively.
Mount Mercy’s Zach Andresen led the men’s individual standings after firing a 1,232 total for five games (246.4 average). Wichita State’s Spencer Robarge (1,215), Calumet’s Mason Doan (1,183), Saint Xavier’s Bobby Habetler (1,172) and St. Ambrose’s Tyler Close (1,154) also finished in the top five.
Habetler posted 300 in Game 4 on his way to the top five.
Mount Mercy paced the women’s field (38 teams) in qualifying, taking the top spot by nearly 150 pins with 7,953. Saint Xavier qualified second with 7,806, and Coe was third with 7,793. Saint Vincent was the final qualifier for the semifinals with 7,658.
Saint Vincent (828) and Mount Mercy (791) easily advanced out of the first semifinal as No. 4 Spring Arbor (718) and No. 5 Concordia (682) were eliminated.
No. 7 Morningside (832) and Saint Xavier (782) also rolled to the finals, as No. 6 Milligan (685) and Coe (663) did not advance.
The tightly contested championship round featured just 24 pins of separation from first to third heading into the final Baker game. Saint Xavier posted 181 in Game 4 to go around Mount Mercy and earn the victory by 10 pins with 778. Mount Mercy finished as the runner-up with 768, Saint Vincent took third with 740 and Morningside placed fourth with 710.
Mount Mercy’s Brooke Salzman earned her second top five in Las Vegas by leading the women’s individual standings at the Collegiate Shoot-Out with 1,129 (225.8 average). Coe’s Whittney Morse was second with 1,064, while Mount Mercy’s Nada Abdul Jalil (1,055), St. Ambrose’s Marissa Bills (1,049) and Governors State’s Olivia Daujatas (1,041) also finished in the top five.
Women’s results from the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic and Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic – Dec. 18-21
The women’s field hit the lanes first at Jordan Lanes for the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic, with Pikeville cruising to victory.
The format included five traditional games and 20 Baker games, with total pinfall determining the champion. The women’s field featured 12 varsity teams.
The Bears built a sizeable lead after the traditional block as the only team to average over 200. They continued to add onto their advantage during the Baker set to record the win by 519 pins with a 9,156 total.
Lawrence Tech finished second with 8,637, while Cumberland bested Trine by 20 pins for third with 8,523.
Along with the team win, Pikeville placed three student-athletes in the top five of the individual standings. Katarina Hagler and Kristina Catoe shared top honors for the Bears with 1,091 (218.2 average), while Kelsey Cummings took fifth with 1,043. Lawrence Tech’s Brooke Kochel was third with 1,064, and Trine’s Megan Timm finished fourth with 1,061.
Pikeville continued their dominance as they made their way to Haja Rose Bowl for the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic, winning by 342 pins with a final score of 8,575.
The format remained the same at the Keystone Quaker Classic, with 11 varsity squads competing in the women’s field.
Trine placed second with 8,233 and finished just ahead of Cumberland (8,216).
With the sweep, Pikeville now owns three Tier I wins on the season (Bowlero Southern Classic).
Pikeville again had three student-athletes in the top five of the individual standings at the Keystone Quaker Classic. Catoe added a second win for the trip and led the field with 1,049 for five games (209.8 average), while Brianna Rogers finished second with 1,031. Cummings moved up two spots from the first event and tied Trine’s Alissa VanHorn for third with 993. Cumberland’s Alyssa Campbell placed fifth with 980.
Men’s results from the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic and Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic – Dec. 18-21
The Indiana Tech men made a tremendous comeback in Baker competition to collect the win at the Roto Grip Keystone Quaker Classic.
The Keystone Quaker Classic featured five traditional games and 20 Baker games in the men’s division. A total of 18 varsity squads competed at Haja Rose Bowl.
After the traditional block, Indiana Tech was in sixth place and trailing Lawrence Tech by 299 pins. The Warriors averaged more than 217 during the Baker set to quickly make their way toward the top of the standings. A 212 effort in the final game was just enough to push the Warriors to the top spot by 10 pins with 9,373.
Lawrence Tech finished second with 9,363, and Trine was third at the Keystone Quaker Classic with 9,275.
Lawrence Tech’s Noah Samuels led the men’s individual standings with a five-game tally of 1,147 (229.4 average). Samuels was followed in the top five by Pikeville’s Elijah Mayberry (1,134), Trine’s Hayden Hale (1,131), Lawrence Tech teammate Michael Weber (1,091) and Robert Morris-Pennsylvania’s Clay Thomas (1,089).
Severo Gordon of Robert Morris-Pennsylvania rolled the lone 300 at the Keystone Quaker Classic during Game 2.
Pikeville captured the win at the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Classic to conclude the week in Pennsylvania, finishing strong in the Baker set.
The format stayed the same at Jordan Lanes, and only eight pins separated Marian-Wisconsin (5,470), Lawrence Tech (5,466) and Pikeville (5,462) after the traditional block. The Bears went to work during the 20 Baker games, posting only two scores below 200 while averaging more than 225 to record the win by 181 pins with 9,978.
Lawrence Tech was the runner-up with 9,797, and Marian-Wisconsin finished third with 9,723. A total of 21 teams competed in the men’s varsity division at the Lehigh Valley Classic.
In the men’s individual standings, Marian-Wisconsin’s Jaysen Spanbauer averaged more than 240 for his five games to take top honors with a 1,204 total. Florida State’s Thomas McLaughlin was second with 1,160. SUNY-Stony Brook’s Henry Hecht (1,159), Indiana Tech’s Cameron Kilgore (1,154) and Lawrence Tech’s Connor Nowak (1,144) rounded out the top five.
Competition on the USBC Collegiate schedule will resume Jan. 11, 2025. For the full schedule of collegiate events, results and more, visit BOWL.com/Collegiate and CollegeBowling.Bowl.com.