St. Ambrose University Bowling News

The St. Ambrose women finished sixth and the SAU men took eighth at the Warhawk Open this weekend.

Nicole Porter and Kelly Granzow led the Queen Bees to sixth in the 14-team field. Porter knocked down 1,056 total pins while Granzow had a pin count of 1,043. Deanna Ptak finished with 945 total pins. A second SAU women's team finished 12th. Katrina Hager (1,003 total pins) and Katelyn Seaba (1,000 pins) were the top scorers.

Three SAU men's bowlers each knocked down more than 1,000 pins to help the Bees place eighth in the 25-team field. Ryan McDaniel finished with 1,090 pins, Sam Peterlin had 1,060 and Seth Sander added 1,059.

Sam Biesack was the top SAU individual with a pin count of 1,133 to help a second Bee men's team to a 10th-place finish. JJ Seaba had a pin count of 1,087. A third men's team took 22nd, led by Anthony Bauer's 873 pins.

The St. Ambrose bowling teams continued their strong starts in their first seasons of intercollegiate bowling. The top SAU women's team took 13th and the top SAU men's team finished 18th at the Kegel Collegiate Classic on Saturday and Sunday.

Kelly Granzow and Nicole Porter each knocked down 1,050 total pins to tie for 26th overall on the women's side. They averaged 175.00 over their six games.

Deanna Ptak finished 32nd with 1,031 pins, a 171.83 average, and Leah Perez took 58th with 939 pins, a 156.50 average. The top St. Ambrose team finished 13th and a second group finished 21st in the 23-team field.

The SAU men took three teams to the two-day tournament, and placed 18th, 22nd and 29th in the 34-team field.

Jack Urban placed 16th with 1,187 total pins, good for a 197.83 average. J.J. Seaba finished 30th with 1,139 pins, a 189.83 average. Bryan Thompson finished with 1,032 pins, a 172.00 average, to finish 66th and Ryan McDaniel was 81st with 962 pins, a 192.40 average. Chris Ruffino (939 pins, 187.80 average) and Andy Humphrey (900, 180.00) also cracked the top-100 as individuals.

Thanks to the early-season success, the St. Ambrose women are ranked 19th in CollegeBowling.com's recent online team ranking system. The SAU men are 37th.

Four individual Bee bowlers have also cracked the site's Top Rookies rankings. Based on average, Taylor Garvey is 11th, Kelly Granzow is 31st and Leah Perez is 44th among all collegiate women bowling rookies. Jack Urban is 36th on the men's side.

Nicole Porter and Taylor Garvey earned all-tournament recognition after placing in the top five at the 15th Annual Brickyard Classic. Porter had the top total pin count in the field with 1,142 pins, good for a 190.33 average. Garvey was fourth with 1,102 pins, a 185.66 average.

Porter, along with Kelly Granzow, who finished 18th with 1,043 pins (173.83 average), helped lead the St. Ambrose Blue team to a third-place finish in the 16-team field with 8,129 total pins. The Blue team was only 10 pins out of second place. Garvey and Leah Perez, who finished 22nd with 1,024 pins (170.66 average) helped the SAU White team to a 10th-place showing.

Also bowling for the SAU Blue team were Brooke Post (930 pins, 155.00 average), Memie Williamson (822, 164.40), Deanna Ptak (788, 157.60) and Lisa Beckmann (339, 169.50). Rounding out the White team were Katrina Hager (939, 156.50), Melissa Noe (636, 127.20), Katelyn Seaba (601, 150.25) and Jenna Keimig (379, 126.33).

Two SAU men's teams also fared well, finishing ninth and 12th in the 30-team field. Bryan Thompson was the top Bee, placing 16th with 1,165 total pins, a 194.16 average, to lead the Blue team. Brett Dahm (914, 182.80), Sam Peterlin (739, 184.75), Seth Sander (663, 165.75), Brad Greenup (599, 149.75), Billy Kerber (478, 159.33), Drew Enger (473, 157.66) and Garrett Hyle (333, 165.50) also bowled for the Blue team.

Jack Urban led the White team with 1,162 pins, a 193.66 average, and a 19th-place individual finish. Also on the White team were Andy Humphrey (1030, 171.66), Bobby Trimarco (882, 176.40), Ryan McDaniel (822, 205.50), Chris Ruffino (498, 166.00), J.J. Seaba (446, 148.66), Adam Jacobsen (330, 165.00) and Tyler Hendrickson (159, 159.00).

The St. Ambrose men's and women's bowling teams took to the lanes for intercollegiate competition for the first time. The Bees had a strong showing out of the gate as the women took 15th (out of 27 teams) and the top men's team was 18th (out of 45) at the 39th Annual Midwest Collegiate Championships in Wauwatosa, Wis. A second SAU men's team finished 39th.

The Queen Bees finished in front of teams from Illinois State, Michigan State, Western Illinois, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay, while the SAU men's team defeated teams from Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ball State.

Nicole Porter was the top Queen Bee, finishing 34th with a total pin count of 1623, an average of 180.33. Kelly Granzow was 74th with 1397 pins (174.63 average) and Jessica Cordrey finished just 53 pins behind her teammate with 1344 (168.00), good for 79th. Memie Williamson (87th with 1259 pins / 157.38) and Deanna Ptak (94th with 1193 pins / 170.43) also finished in the top 100.

Leah Perez (417 pins / 208.50), Brooke Post (343 / 171.50) and Lisa Beckmann (144 / 144.00) also bowled for the Queen Bees.

Sam Peterlin and Bryan Thompson led the men's team. Peterlin knocked down 1775 pins (197.22) to place 57th while Thompson was 69th with 1738 pins (193.11). Brett Dahm took 117th with 1520 pins (190.00). Ryan McDaniel (965 / 193.00), Garrett Hyle (790 / 197.50), Billy Kerber (605 / 201.67) and Brad Greenup (330 / 165.00) also bowled for the SAU men's A team.

Jack Urban led the SAU B team with 1305 pins (186.43). Bobby Trimarco (1209 / 172.71), Andy Humphrey (1000 / 166.67), Adam Jacobsen (902 / 180.20), John Seaba (837 / 167.40), Chris Ruffino (825 / 165.00) and Tyler Hendrickson (746 / 149.20) also competed for St. Ambrose.

The Bees will next compete at the 15th Annual Brickyard Classic at the Western Bowl in Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 10-11.

Bryan Thompson and Kelly Granzow lead the team qualifying for the first collegiate tournament of the season - The Midwest Collegiate Championships to be held at AMF Bowlero in Wauwatosa, Wis., Oct. 3-4. It will be the first-ever intercollegiate bowling competition for St. Ambrose University.

Thompson, a freshman from Chicago, Ill., led the men’s team qualifying with a 9-game pin count of 1986, a 220.6 average.

Granzow, a freshman from Sterling, Ill., led the women’s team qualifying with a 9-game pin count of 1676, a 186.2 average.

St. Ambrose will have two men’s teams and one women’s team competing in the Midwest Collegiate Championship.

Men's Team Qualifiers
Brett Dahm (So., Chicago, Ill.)
Drew Enger (Fr., Carol Stream, Ill.)
Brad Greenup (Fr., Channahon, Ill.)
Tyler Hendrickson (Fr., Freeport, Ill.)
Andrew Humphrey (Fr., Plainfield, Ill.)
Garrett Hyle (Fr., Roscoe, Ill.)
Adam Jacobsen (So., Davenport, Iowa)
Billy Kerber (Fr., Niles, Ill.)
Ryan McDaniel (Jr., Crest Hill, Ill.)
Sam Peterlin (Fr., Oak Lawn, Ill.)
Chris Ruffino (Fr., Minooka, Ill.)
Seth Sander (Fr., Muscatine, Iowa)
John Seaba (So., Iowa City, Iowa)
Bryan Thompson (Fr., Chicago, Ill.)
Bobby Trimarco (Fr., Streamwood, Ill.)
John Urban (Jr., Downers Grove, Ill.)

Women's Team Qualifiers
Lisa Beckmann (Fr., Hanover Park, Ill.)
Jessica Cordrey (Fr., Muscatine, Iowa)
Kelly Granzow (Fr., Sterling, Ill.)
Leah Perez (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Nicole Porter (Jr., Blue Grass, Iowa)
Brooke Post (Fr., Marion, Iowa)
Deanna Ptak (Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill.)
Metchelle Williamson (Fr., Oswego, Ill.)

Pictured above: John Diggs, Jr., from Davenport Central High School has signed a letter of intent for men's bowling. Seated next to John is Assistant SAU Bowling Coach Jeff Griebel. John's parents, John and Debbie, are in the back. John's father, John Sr., is the head boy's bowling coach at Davenport Central High School.

Pictured above: Drew Enger, from Carol Stream, Ill. (Driscoll Catholic High School), recently signed his letter of intent to bowl for St. Ambrose starting in 2009-10. Drew was the team captain and MVP for the 2008-09 Driscoll Catholic bowling team, and was a 2009 IHSA At-Large State Bowling Tournament qualifier.

Pictured above: Andrew Humphrey, from Plainfield, Ill. (Plainfield North High School), signed his letter of intent at a signing ceremony at St. Ambrose University recently. Humphrey will bowl for the Bees starting in 2009-10. Andrew is pictured with his parents Donna and David in front of assistant bowling coach Jeff Griebel.

Pictured above, from left to right: Jessica Cordrey (Muscatine HS), Seth Sander (Muscatine HS), and far right Jack Urban (College of Du Page) sign their letters of intent in front of head coach Donna Slane at a signing ceremony at St. Ambrose University.

Pictured above, Jena Keimig, from Davenport North High School, signs her letter of intent to attend St. Ambrose. Jena is joined by her parents and high school coach along with SAU assistant bowling coach Jeff Griebel.

When the St. Ambrose men’s and women’s bowling teams take to the lanes in their inaugural seasons in 2009-10, both rosters will feature bowlers from the Quad-City area. Head coach Donna Slane announced four local bowlers have committed to attend St. Ambrose in the fall of 2009 and help build the Bees’ bowling program.

Jessica Cordrey has proven to be one of the top high school bowlers in the state. She won back-to-back Iowa High School State Individual Bowling Championships the last two years as a junior and senior at Muscatine High School. Cordrey rolled games of 233, 279 and 216 to finish with a 728 series to win the 2009 state title.

Taylor Garvey, from Clinton High School, finished third individually at the 2007 Iowa State Championship Tournament. She was named to the Iowa High School All-Stars First Team in 2007 and 2008.

Davenport North prep Jena Keimig will join Cordrey and Garvey on the Queen Bees’ roster next fall.

One other area bowlers – Seth Sander – will compete for the SAU men’s team.

Sander has a pair of top-4 finishes at the Iowa High School State Tournament for Muscatine High School. As a junior, he took fourth at the 2008 state tournament before placing third at this year’s event.

“We are happy to be signing such quality bowlers from the Quad-City area,” said Slane. “This group will come in and make an immediate impact.”

St. Ambrose announced in October 2008 the addition of varsity men’s and women’s bowling programs starting with the 2009-10 academic year.

The intercollegiate bowling regular season runs from October through February with postseason competition from March through May. The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Collegiate certifies and supports more than 70 intercollegiate bowling tournaments nationwide throughout the season. This year’s USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships are in Rockford, Ill., from April 15-18, while the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships are in Dallas, Texas, from May 17-20.

More information on intercollegiate bowling is available on the USBC website at www.bowl.com/college.

In charge of starting a bowling program at St. Ambrose University, head coach Donna Slane has found a pipeline from Chicago. Seven Chicago-area bowlers, including the top-three ranked bowlers from the Chicago Catholic League, have committed to attend St. Ambrose in the fall of 2009 and help build the Fighting Bees bowling program.

The University announced in October 2008 the addition of varsity men’s and women’s bowling programs starting with the 2009-10 academic year.

Bryan Thompson, Sam Peterlin and Billy Kerber are ranked first, second and third, respectively, in the 2009 Chicago Catholic League.

Thompson, from Chicago, Ill., and Brother Rice High School, was the 2006 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) individual state bowling champion and finished eighth at this year’s tournament. He earned first team all-conference honors from 2006-09.

Peterlin is from Oak Lawn, Ill., and St. Ignatius High School. He is the second ranked bowler in the Chicago Catholic League after taking 19th at the IHSA Boys State Bowling Tournament this year.

Kerber, from Niles, Ill., was a 2009 state qualifier for Niles Notre Dame High School.

Matt Peters, a three-time IHSA state qualifier, is from Darien, Ill., and Hinsdale South High School. He took 13th at the 2009 IHSA State Tournament.

A pair of Streamwood, Ill., natives round out the six incoming men’s bowlers. Bobby Trimarco attends Streamwood High School while Anthony Bauer is at Elgin St. Edwards High School.

(Pictured at right: Bobby Trimarco signs his letter of intent in front of his parents and SAU bowling coach Donna Slane)

Lisa Beckman, from Hanover Park, Ill., will compete for the St. Ambrose women’s team. Beckman attends Lake Park West High School.

“We are so pleased to have such interest from the Chicago area,” said head coach Donna Slane. “Chicago has a tremendous amount of outstanding high school bowlers, and we believe the group we have coming in will help make us competitive right away.”

More information on intercollegiate bowling is available on the USBC website at www.bowl.com/college.

Pictured above: Sam Peterlin and Bryan Thompson signed letters of intent to join St. Ambrose University and the Fighting Bees' bowling program in front of their parents, assistant bowling coach Jeff Griebel and SAU President Sister Joan Lescinski.

St. Ambrose added two more bowlers to the 2009-10 roster when Bryan Thompson and Sam Peterlin signed letters of intent to join St. Ambrose University next fall. Thompson and Peterlin are the top two-ranked bowlers in the Chicago Catholic League this season and agreed to join SAU at a signing ceremony on Monday, Feb. 16.

Thompson, pictured at left with St. Ambrose University President Sister Joan Lescinski, is from Chicago, Ill., and attends Brother Rice High School.

The top-ranked bowler in the Chicago Catholic League this year, Thompson averaged a 220 as a senior and rolled four 300 games this year. He was the 2005 Illinois High School (IHSA) individual state bowling champion and finished eighth at this year's state tournament.

Thompson earned Catholic League First Team All-Conference honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.

Peterlin, pictured at right with Sister Joan Lescinski, is from Oak Lawn, Ill., and attends St. Ignatius High School.

Peterlin is the second-ranked bowler in the Chicago Catholic League this year after averaging a 213 as a senior at St. Ignatius.

He won the Brother Rice and Mather Invitationals and took 19th at the ISHA boy's state tournament. Peterlin has rolled two 300 games.

The two join Ethan Gordon, from Rock Island High School, as the first commitments to the bowling program. St. Ambrose announced in October the addition of varsity men's and women's bowling programs starting in 2009-10.

Rock Island High School senior Ethan Gordon has committed to St. Ambrose University and will become the Fighting Bees first bowler. Gordon signed his letter of intent at a signing ceremony at Rock Island High School this afternoon.

St. Ambrose announced in October the addition of varsity men’s and women’s bowling programs starting in 2009-10.

Gordon, a competitive bowler for 12 years, has a 202 average, with a 771 high certified average. He has rolled two 300 games in his career, including one on the Greater Iowa Scholarship Bowling Tour. Gordon won two local junior bowling tournaments in 2008 and is an Iowa Pepsi Junior Bowling Tour state qualifier.

“We are very pleased to have one of the top high school bowlers from the Quad City area as our first commitment to the new intercollegiate bowling program at St. Ambrose University,” said head bowling coach Donna Slane. “Ethan comes from a bowling family and has made great progress in the local junior bowling ranks. He will be a great addition to our program next fall.”

St. Ambrose University Athletic Director Ray Shovlain announced today the hiring of Donna Slane as the University’s first head men’s and women’s bowling coach. SAU will add bowling as a varsity sport starting in 2009-10.

Slane is an accomplished bowler, gaining induction into the Davenport-Bettendorf Women’s Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 2006. She participated in the Ladies Professional Bowlers’ Tour (LPBT) and won a Regional Championship title in 1997. Slane also holds several team and individual Iowa and Illinois local association titles.

A member of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) for more than 20 years, Slane has maintained at least a 200 average in sanctioned league play for the past 15 years. Along with three 800 three-game series, Slane has rolled eight 300 games, four 299 games and two 298 games in her career.

“Donna has had an outstanding bowling career in the Quad Cities and throughout the Midwest,” said Shovlain. “We are very fortunate to hire her as our inaugural coach for the men’s and women’s program. The student-athletes will definitely respect her knowledge of the sport.”

Slane’s brother, Jeff Griebel, will serve as the assistant bowling coach. Griebel, the head men’s golf coach and Director of Athletic Recruitment at SAU, will primarily be responsible for recruiting.

“I am looking forward to getting in at the ground floor at St. Ambrose,” said Slane. “With bowling as big as it is in high school, St. Ambrose provides another opportunity for students to continue their careers. It’s really exciting.

“St. Ambrose is a competitive school across the board,” Slane continued. “I want the bowling team to meet and exceed those expectations.”

Shovlain also announced that Bowlmor Lanes in Davenport will serve as the home practice and competition facility for the Bees.

“We feel very comfortable using Bowlmor Lanes as our home lanes,” said Shovlain. “They just put down synthetic lanes this past summer, and with their computer programs, they can apply any oil pattern our coach wants.”

St. Ambrose University Athletic Director Ray Shovlain announced today that the University will start varsity men’s and women’s bowling programs in 2009-10. SAU will become just the 18th NAIA institution with certified bowling programs.

“Bowling is a varsity sport in Illinois high schools and on the girls’ side in Iowa, but these students have limited opportunities at the collegiate level,” said Shovlain. “We want to be able to provide opportunities for young people to continue their bowling careers. The varsity bowling program will be treated the same as our other 18 athletic programs.”

According to the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), the national governing body for the sport, 19 states have high school varsity bowling programs and an additional 30 states have high school bowling at the club level. Last season, 2,367 boys and 3,197 girls participated in high school bowling in Illinois. More than 1000 girls were involved in bowling in Iowa high schools.

The intercollegiate bowling regular season runs from October through February with postseason competition from March through May. The USBC Collegiate certifies and supports more than 70 intercollegiate bowling tournaments nationwide throughout the season. This year’s USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships are in Rockford, Ill., from April 15-18, while the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships are in Dallas, Texas, from May 17-20.

Standard collegiate competition utilizes a five-player team with each team’s regular travel roster consisting of up to eight players.

St. Ambrose hopes to announce an agreement for a home practice and competition facility in the near future. A search for a head bowling coach is underway.

More information on intercollegiate bowling is available on the USBC website at www.bowl.com/college.

Bowling News - 2009-10