FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2015

CONTACT:
Gordon Vadakin
Phone (316) 978-7655
Fax (316) 978-6056
email - shocker.bowling@wichita.edu
www.wichita.edu/bowling

Men and Women Have Strong Start to Second Half

WICHITA, Kan. – The men and women opened up the second semester with the ISBPA/Kegel Midwest Collegiate Classic and the McKendree Baker Challenge over the last two weeks. The men finished second and third while the women finished first and third, respectively.

The ISBPA, a tier-one tournament, consisted of six traditional team games on Saturday and 16 baker games on Sunday. The champion was determined by total pin fall.

After the six team games, the women found themselves in first place by 130 pins. Freshman Sydney Brummett (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was nearly perfect in game five, rolling a 299 en route to the team high game of 1107. The women continued their great performance on Sunday to take the title, the final margin of victory was 347 pins.

“The ISBPA is one of the largest tournaments we go to all year, so to come out victorious was an awesome feeling,” said Brummett. “Shooting 299 was just the icing on the cake for me personally. The most important thing was it helped contribute to the team’s success.”

The Shocker men had quite the different story. After day one, the men were in sixth place, 320 back from the leaders. They came back firing Sunday morning, bowling the highest baker set in the competition and catapulting them into second place.

“It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” senior Francois Lavoie (Québec City, Québec) said. “We didn't get off to the start we wanted one Saturday and scores were a lot higher in the second squad. But we learned from our mistakes, came up with a better game plan and executed well on Sunday. Turns out we made up a lot of pins on the field. There were a lot of positives to take away from the weekend.”

A short week and the Shockers were back on the bus, this time to Fairview Heights, Ill. to compete in the McKendree Baker Challenge. This tournament featured all baker games. Team bowled 40 qualifying games, and then the field was cut to the top eight teams in each division to compete in a single elimination, best two-out-of-three bracket.

The Shocker men qualified in third and bowled St. Ambrose University in round one. It was a quick match as the men won in two, 189-161 and 193-155. In round two the men bowled Lindenwood. They never really found the comfort they were looking for, falling to Lindenwood in two games, 183-193 and 178-211. The men finished the tournament in third place.

“Our men’s performance in the match play portion of the event left a lot to be desired. The guys have rededicated themselves to improving several aspects of their games to be more ready for the next event and post season,” head coach Gordon Vadakin said.

The ladies dominated the qualifying portion of the event, leading the field by 388. This earned them the No. 1 seed. In round one the Lady Shox faced No. 8 seed, Mount Mercy University and won the match with scores of 180-168, 180-187 and 218-180. In the semifinals, the ladies bowled Lindenwood University. A strong start gave them an early 1-0 lead (218-182) however they couldn't keep the momentum going, falling the next two games and finishing in third place (176-207, 155-172).

“Overall, the tournament was a success. However, our weaknesses were pointed out so we have a lot to take away from this tournament in order to get better. We know what needs to be done in preparation for March and April,” said senior Brianna Amidon (Pittsfield, Mass.).

The Shockers will wrap up their regular season at the Hoosier Classic February 14th and 15th. For more information about the Shocker Bowling program, please visit www.wichita.edu/bowling.

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The Rhatigan Student Center has been the major financial and administrative supporter of the Wichita State University bowling program since 1959.