FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2015

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

WICHITA, KAN. – The Shox competed in the Leatherneck Classic in the Quad Cities last weekend and returned home with a pair of third place finishes.

On day one, the Shocker men got out to a slow start and found themselves in 12th place. Day two was a brand new day and the Shockers put together some really good Baker sets, averaging 204 to jump from 12th place all the way to fifth place. They qualified for the bracket and bowled Calumet College of St. Joseph in the first round.

Calumet won game one with a 238 to WSU’s 217. Wichita State bounced right back and took game two in the tenth frame, 200-197. It came down to the tenth frame again in game three, when senior AJ Chapman (Manchester, Iowa) punched out for the Shockers to nab the game and the match, 233-224. The quarterfinals with Lindenwood were just as exciting. Both teams bowled 176 game one and each received a half point. Lindenwood snuck out a win in game two, 217-223. It came down to the tenth in the final game as Wichita State forced Lindenwood to double and they did, winning the game 196-210.

Chapman led the way individually for the men, averaging 219 and earning fourth place. He was named to the All-Tournament team.

“It was a tale of two tournaments this weekend,” head coach Gordon Vadakin said. “We had a mediocre day during the team games. The second was a completely different in both the Baker qualifying and the match play. It was a great second day.”

During the six team games on day one, the ladies trailed Lindenwood most of the day before shooting 1014 game six to take the lead after day one. All teams returned Sunday and bowled 16 Baker games. The ladies held on to their lead and earned the number one seed for the bracket finals.

The ladies made quick work of their first opponent, Hastings College. They won both games, 223-180 and 182-164. In the quarter finals, the ladies fell to the eventual champions, Saint Ambrose University (149-190, 181-196). The Shocker women earned third place.

“We have started the year leading all four tournaments in the qualifying portion,” assistant coach Mark Lewis said. “We need to improve our shot making quotient. In qualifying mode we can be successful throwing two good shots out of three. We must be better than that in match play. This group of ladies can be and we need to find a way to get there.”

Individually, Hollyann Johansen (Wichita, Kan.) had a great tournament, earning All-Tournament team honors and finishing in third place with a 213 average over six games. Dasha Kovalova, the lone senior on the team from Moscow, Russia, finished ninth individually averaging 200 for six games.

For the first time in quite a few years, the Shockers will not be traveling on Thanksgiving Day. National Team Match Games has moved to Saturday and Sunday, November 28-29th in Fairview Heights, Ill.

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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.