FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2016

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

WICHITA, Kan. – It was a twinning weekend as both JV teams finished second to Hastings University and both varsity teams took home the first place trophies at the Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Kan. over the weekend by defeating Midland University. The men won the final match 3-2 and the women won the final match 3-0.

As the No. 1 seed, the Lady Shocks defeated the No. 8 seed Culver-Stockton, 2-0 (183-177, 178-141). They made it another quick match over Kansas Wesleyan in the semi-finals winning 2-0 (179-142, 204-135).

In the finals the ladies continued the undefeated streak, winning 3-0. Game one was close as the ladies won 201-188. In the eighth frame of game two, Hollyann Johansen (Wichita, Kan.) left a 3-10 split. Ashlyn Herzberg (Wichita, Kan.) subbed in to shoot the spare and converted it. It proved to be huge as the ladies kept it clean the rest of the game, winning 215-189. The ladies ended the match with a 223-209 win.

“The ladies really played well this weekend,” head women’s coach Mark Lewis said. “It’s fun to see them get better with each tournament and I’m anxious to see how good this group of women can get.”

The Shocker men made it a little bit more exciting. They won the first match quickly, winning 218-145 and 193-189 over Iowa Central.

In the semi-finals, the Shockers took care of Hastings College game one 212-177. In the second game, senior Justin Zwaschka (St. Joseph, Mo.) needed a double to win the game. He struck on the first shot and left a ten pin on the second one. Needing to make the spare to tie the game, he stepped up and did just that, 179-179. The men easily won the next game 227-191 to advance to the finals.

Against Midland University in the finals, the men snagged game one 199-179. The tables turned game two and three as Midland won both games to take a 2-1 lead (179-194 and 225-250). The high scores continued as the Shocks won game four 216-190. With lots of strikes in the fifth and final game, the game came all the way down to the tenth frame. Zwaschka again needed the first strike and good count. He made some great shots and struck both times to finish off the game and match, 242-235 and a 3-2 win.

“The lanes were hard this weekend and the men really persevered,” head coach Gordon Vadakin said. “Senior Justin Zwaschka threw some really great shots when we needed him to down the stretch. The whole team really bowled great in match play. It was nice to get the first win of the season for both the men and the women.”

Both JV teams finished second. On the women’s side, the ladies fell 2-3 to Hastings College. The men also fell to Hastings College, 0-3.

Individually the Shocks has success as well, placing three women on the All-Tournament team and two more in the top ten. Senior Laura Plazas (Bogotá, Colombia) took home All-Tournament MVP for the first time as she won the individual side with a six game average of 216. Senior Kristie López (Ponce, Puerto Rico) and sophomore Sydney Brummett (Fort Wayne, Ind.) were not too far behind her, finishing second and third averaging 213 and 207, respectively. Freshmen Natalie Dutton (Jenks, Okla.) and sophomore Shelby Snyder (Spokane, Wash.) rounded out the top ten, finishing ninth and tenth with 189 averages.

The Shocker men added three to the All-Tournament team and one more in the top ten. Junior Thomas Peters (Belleville, Ill.) made his first All-Tournament team, finishing second with a 207 average. Freshmen Joe Grondin (San Pedro, Calif.) and junior Alex Lankford (Moon Twp., Penn.) also made their first All-Tournament teams, finishing fourth and fifth with a 205 average. Zwaschka finished in the top ten, placing seventh with a 203 average.

Last weekend, the Shockers went to the Five Seasons Classic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was another twinning weekend as both varsity teams finished second and both JV teams took home the JV division trophies. Individually, Johansen earned her first All-Tournament MVP award by winning the individual event with an astounding 230 average. López and sophomore Brooke Woodard (Keller, Texas) also made the All-Tournament team, finishing third and fourth, respectively. López averaged 212 and Woodard averaged 210. On the men’s side, three Shockers earned All-Tournament team honors. Sophomore Brandon Biondo (Carpentersville, Ill.) finished second with a 226 average, Zwaschka finished third with a 225 average and sophomore Ryan Kendall (Pelham, Ala.) finished fifth with a 210 average.

Another short week of practice for the Shocks as they head to one of the largest Tier II events of the season, the Leatherneck Classic in Davenport, Iowa and Moline, Ill. this weekend.

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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.