BOWLING

The Huntington bowling program closed out its regular season with two final competitions, both held at Western Bowl in Indianapolis, beginning with Crossroads League Tourney No. 3 and ending with the prestigious Hoosier Classic.

Crossroads League Tourney #3

The conference finale featured three traditional team games in the morning followed by 12 Baker games in the afternoon. Despite flashes of promise, both varsity squads struggled to build late-season momentum.

The men’s varsity team placed fourth out of eight teams with a total pinfall of 5,304. David McLaughlin paced the Foresters with a 214 average, finishing 12th overall individually. The JV men took sixth out of seven teams, highlighted by David Kowalski’s standout performance. Kowalski averaged 244 per game to claim a third-place overall finish.

On the women’s side, HU finished fifth out of eight teams with a total of 4,681 pins. Amanda Turner led the way with a 198 average.

“The women played the lanes well,” said head coach Mike Shockey. “We just could not get anything going in the right direction.”

Hoosier Classic
Huntington wrapped the regular season at the Hoosier Classic – the largest collegiate bowling tournament in the country, featuring 78 men’s teams and 64 women’s teams. The demanding format included five traditional team games on Saturday and 15 Baker games on Sunday.

Beyond the competition, the event’s annual Make-A-Wish presentation remains a highlight, with HU serving as one of the presenting teams as a wish was granted Saturday.

The men finished 54th out of 78 teams with a weekend total of 7,162. Leland Jones led the Foresters individually, averaging 204 across five games to place 93rd out of 536 bowlers.

The women placed 50th out of 64 teams with a total score of 6,513. Elle Clem and Aurora Yantz paced HU, tying for 78th out of 418 competitors.

Both squads battled inconsistencies in shot-making and spare shooting throughout the weekend, contributing to the final standings.

With the regular season complete, the Foresters now shift their focus to USBC Sectionals, set for March 13-15 at a location to be determined.