Warriors win Jayhawk Collegiate Challenge

By Matt Oliver

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Winning its second consecutive tournament, the Waldorf College men’s bowling team claimed the Jayhawk Collegiate Challenge championship on Sunday.

The Warriors finished seventh in qualifying with 8,026 total pins, recording a team total of 5,253 and a 2,773 baker score in the two-day tournament at Royal Crest Lanes.

Waldorf advanced to match play and brought down the University of Kansas in a best-of-five game series that utilized a ladder format. The Warriors knocked off eighth-ranked Midland University in the semifinals. Hastings College took the first game from Waldorf in the championship round, but the Warriors reeled off three straight wins to capture the tournament crown.

“It took controlling the things we can control,” Waldorf coach Joe Squires said.

Caleb Bain turned in the top performance for the Warriors, claiming 19th place with a 1,135-pin total. The senior from Cottage Grove, Minn. rolled a 189.17 average through six games.

Freshman Kyle Swiderski took 29th, posting a score of 1,088 and a 181.33 average while leading the Waldorf junior varsity team to fourth. The Warrior JV team finished with 7,571 total pins behind a 4,937 team total and a 2,634 baker score.

Senior Matthew Truman placed 44th for Waldorf’s JV team with a six-game total of 1,032 (172 average).

Sophomore Michael Templin helped pace the Warriors’ varsity lineup, earning 62nd with a 970 (161.67 average).

Bowling for the JV squad, freshman Damon Helgevold came in 80th while providing an 874 (145.67 average).

Freshman Tyler Doss rounded out Waldorf’s varsity score with a one-game total of 127 to finish 154th.

Two weeks ago, the Warriors won their first-ever tournament championship in school history. Locking up their second straight title, they played with an edge as they capitalized in frames during crucial stretches of the tournament.

“We made a number of clutch spares compared to our opponents,” Squires said. “We held our momentum with our energy, being loud when we got a break and staying positive when we did miss something we shouldn’t have.”

Waldorf returns to competition in the Ebonite Warhawk Open, which will be held Dec. 5-6 at Madison, Wisconsin.