By Hank Wickley
Sports Writer
On Jan. 28, the women’s bowling team won first place at the American Heartland IV tournament in Kent, Ohio.
The team put up a total of over 7,000 points in the tournament, beating three of the top 15 teams in the country.
“This is a very young team but a very good team,” said head coach Kyle Woodcock.
“They have been bowling with these higher ranked teams all season,” he said.
Woodcock continued by saying, “On Sunday they maintained the level necessary to get the win for the entire day.”
The girls also recognize how big of a deal it is to beat teams of that caliber. “As a team, finishing first is a big deal because we have such a young team compared to others,” said Brianna Pitre (‘18). “We never focus on who were bowling, only our own performance.”
Focusing on themselves seems to be working, considering this significant team win.
Another significant aspect of the bowling team’s win was the performance of two bowlers.
Freshman Kasidey Easlick (‘21) surpassed her previous season-best average of 174.8 by scoring an average of 213.25. When asked how she accomplished this feat, Easlick said “I’ve been working on a lot during practice, helping with consistency and balance.”
Easlick continued to say, “This tournament made me feel more confident in my skills.”
Pitre also put up a new season high at the tournament with a score of 233.
“Putting up season highs is always a great feeling,” said Pitre.
When asked about her individual preparation, Pitre said, “Like any athlete, my practices consist of making adjustments to my game and performance.”
As far as what is to come next, the team has hopes to continue winning as much as possible.
“As a team, we have been progressively finishing higher in tournaments and team bakers,” said Pitre.
She continued, “With our biggest tournament, the Hoosier Classic, approaching, we need to stay focused and keep our team energy up.”
Sometimes the little things make a huge difference.
“Now that we have done what we’ve been working to do all season, we can see that the simple things like communication between the team and coach helps give us the boost we need,” said Easlick.
“Going forward, the ladies now know that they can bowl with the best in the country,” said Woodcock.
