JACKSON, Mich. – The young Vincennes University bowling team had a good showing in their first tournament of the 2023-24 season Saturday when the Trailblazers took part in the Dirty Bird Classic at JAX60 in Jackson, Mich.
The VU varsity men's bowling team placed eighth out of 11 teams competing and the junior varsity team placed sixth out of 10 teams.
Vincennes' varsity team was headlined by freshman Cayden Russell (Noblesville, Ind.) who bowled a 159, 208 and a 201 in the three games for a combined score of 568, good for 15th overall as an individual.
Junior Brighton Lucas (Salem, Ill.) was the next VU scorer, with a combined 542 (186, 184, 172) placing him 27th overall for the tournament.
Freshman Nicholas Gregg (Salem, Ill.) was the third VU varsity team member to bowl all three games, ending with a 165, 174, 186 and 525 combined pins, good for 35th overall.
Freshmen Kannon King (Salem, Ill.) and Dakota Waskom (Louisville, Ky.) each bowled the first two games of the day for VU, with King ending with 191, 156 and Waskom coming in with 149, 158.
VU Head Bowling Coach Paul LeMond then turned to freshmen Dylan Lewis (Louisville, Ky.) and Jon Starr (Centralia, Ill.) for the third game and was rewarded with a 194 by Lewis and a 180 by Starr.
Vincennes as a team finished with a score of 850, 880 and 933 in the three games, giving them a combined team score of 2,663.
In the Baker portion of the tournament the Trailblazer varsity squad posted scores of 698, 681, 745, 668 and 709, for a total of 3,501 pins and a total tournament score of 6,164.
The Vincennes junior varsity squad was headlined by freshman Ethan Ennis (Kokomo, Ind.) who finished with a 197, 174 and 166 in his three games, giving him a total score of 537, good for 30th overall.
Sophomores Caleb Lanning (Lawrenceville, Ill.) and Carson McDivitt (Richmond, Ind.) were the next VU JV scorers, with Lanning posting a 163, 160, 188 for a tournament score of 511 and McDivitt finished with 146, 161, 177 and 484 combined pins for the tournament. Lanning placed 43rd overall, while McDivitt checked in at 53rd overall.
Sophomore Ethan Staples (Columbus, Ind.) was the fourth VU junior varsity bowler to compete in all three games, finishing with scores of 120, 139 and 126 for 385 total pins and a 69th overall finish.
Freshmen Josiah Wilkerson (Princeton, Ind.) and Haydn Hunt (Kokomo, Ind.) combined to make up the fifth spot on the VU JV team, with Wilkerson bowling the first two games with a 145 and 117 before Hunt finished the tournament in the third game with a 149.
The VU junior varsity team posted scores of 771, 751 and 806 in the three games for a total of 2,328 pins, while posting scores of 627, 673, 625, 678 and 625 in the Baker games for a tournament total of 5,556 pins.
The Vincennes University bowling team will look to continue to build on and improve on this first tournament of the season when the Blazers take part in the Midwest Collegiate Championships Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8 at Bowlero Wauwatosa in Wauwatosa, Wis.
VINCENNES RESULTS
TEAM RESULTS
VU Varsity (8th) – 850, 880, 993 – 2,663. Baker – 698, 681, 745, 668, 709 – 3,501. Total – 6,164.
VU Junior Varsity (6th) – 771, 751, 806 – 2,328. Baker – 627, 673, 625, 678, 625 – 3,228. Total – 5,556.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Varsity
Cayden Russell (15) – 159, 208, 201 – 568
Brighton Lucas (27) – 186, 184, 172 – 542
Nicholas Gregg (35) – 165, 174, 186 – 525
Kannon King – 191, 156, x – 347
Dakota Waskom – 149, 158, x – 307
Dylan Lewis – x, x, 194
Jon Starr – x, x, 180
Junior Varsity
Ethan Ennis (30) – 197, 174, 166 – 537
Caleb Lanning (43) – 163, 160, 188 – 511
Carson McDivitt (53) – 146, 161, 177 – 484
Ethan Staples (69) – 120, 139, 126 – 385
Josiah Wilkerson – 145, 117, x – 262
Haydn Hunt – x, x, 149