BOWLING

The HU bowling program kicked off its season over the weekend with a solid showing at the Mid-South Conference Tournament.

On the men’s side, the Foresters finished fourth out of eight varsity teams in addition to winning the JV division. As a team, HU fired team totals of 6498 (V) and 6594 (JV).

“We wanted to split the men up and even out the roster strength for this tournament in an effort to put both teams in the top five overall which we accomplished,” said Shockey. “The guys really stepped up and bowled as a team and at the end of the day, we showed the depth of this team.

“As we move through the season, we are going to be able to have the flexibility to mix and match players and not lose any firepower for our ability to score and finish every tournament near the top of the standings.”  

Headlining the weekend was freshman Daniel Burzynski who finished second in the individual standings. The rookie, in his collegiate debut, shot a single-game program record of 290 on his way to posting a four-game total of 916 (229/game average) as a member of the JV squad.

The varsity HU men were led by senior Austin Schultz who tallied a four-game score of 781 (195.25/game average).

“We were curious about the freshmen and how they would handle the collegiate environment the first time out. We have a strong group this year and they were more than up to the task,” said Coach Shockey. “Daniel Burzynski led the way showing how ready this class is to come in and contribute right away.

“In addition to setting a single game school record of 290 in game three, he also went on to be a strong Baker game player filling frames and throwing strikes in the tenth frame consistently.”

Shockey is excited about what’s to come for his team. “We have a tremendously talented team this year and have set our goals really high for the season,” said Coach Shockey. “The seniors stepped up and led like seniors and the freshmen came in with open minds on what to expect. Everyone contributed and did their jobs I think by the end of each day we started to see and understand just how good we could be by the end of the year.

The Huntington women took third out of eight varsity teams. Two Forester teams also competed in the JV division to finish second and fourth.

Senior DaYanira Garza paced Shockey’s varsity crew with a score of 696 through four games (174/game average) to finish eighth individually. As a team, the varsity club posted a total of 5845 pins.

While the Foresters struggled with lane play on Sunday, they fought hard to stay within striking distance to find themselves in fourth place with two Baker games to go. HU regrouped to bowl the best two Baker games of the day to go from 25 pins behind third-place Lincoln to 43 pins ahead of them to climb a spot in the final standings.

“We traditionally have teams that are full of grit and determination, so to see the entire women’s team down there for the last two games coming together with that fortitude was truly exciting,” said Shockey. “I think those last two games were worth the struggle the rest of the day. It was lesson we can apply for the entire now.”

Freshman Izzy Sitkowski led the JV squad with a score 683 for four games (170.75/game average). The Foresters registered JV team totals of 5510 and 5153.

Next up for the Foresters is the Lourdes Fall Invitational on November 14 in Toledo, Ohio.