Waldorf finishes strong in Midwest Collegiate Classic

By Matt Oliver

LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. – Following a challenging start, the Waldorf College men’s bowling team put together a strong finish to close out the Kegel/Illinois State Bowling Proprietors Association (ISBPA) Midwest Collegiate Classic on Sunday.
Forced to battle back, the Warriors turned it on down the stretch in the two-day tournament held at Stardust Bowl. They closed out the weekend with a 7,874-pin total to place 42nd out of 60 teams.
“It was a tough competition for the team,” Waldorf coach Joe Squires said. “We couldn’t figure out the pattern during the first day. The second day, we fought back and stepped up our game to climb six positions.”
Nicholas Heimerman provided the top individual performance for the Warriors, tying for 125th with a five-game score of 928. The junior from Faribault, Minnesota rolled a 185.6 average in the tier-1 tournament.
Waldorf senior Caleb Bain secured 148th with a 904 (180.8 average). Freshman Kyle Swiderski claimed 167th, tallying an 882-pin total (176.4 average). Junior Tony Manna took 288th with a 651 (162.75 average) through four games. Freshman Roger Harford tied for 291st, recording a score of 646 (161.5 average) in four games. Senior Matthew Truman placed 402nd with two-game finish of 267 (133.5 average).
Sixth-ranked Calumet College of St. Joseph locked up the tournament championship behind a 9,284-pin performance. Third-ranked Lindenwood University (9,226) earned second in the team standings while No. 18 Urbana University (9,210), No. 2 Robert Morris University (9,115) and No. 16 William Penn University (9,070) completed the top five.
Morehead State University’s Zach Doty captured top individual honors with a 1,193 (238.6 average) to defeat Lindenwood’s Michael Coffey by 45 pins.
After bowling in a tough tournament, the Warriors are moving forward as they set their sights on competing at their full potential in the Viterbo V-Hawk Invitational. They open the two-day tournament on Saturday at La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“We are looking to rebound this week in practice and make a good run at the smaller tournament in La Crosse,” Squires said. “If we bowl like we are capable of, we will definitely be a strong contender.”