Penn College Bowlers Claim Three State Titles

Published 03.03.2008

News
Athletics

For the fifth straight year, Pennsylvania College of Technology bowlers have won Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association championships.

Competing Saturday and Sunday at the Moshannon Valley Super Bowl in Philipsburg:

  • Michael Pollock (sophomore/Sugarloaf) captured the men's all events championship
  • The Penn College Blue Team of Pollock, Matt Haulman (freshman/West Milton)
  • Wesley Moyer (freshman/Fleetwood), Ryan Forry (sophomore/Lancaster), Merle Burkhart Jr. (freshman/Lancaster) and David Florist (sophomore/Horsham) won the men's overall
  • Ryan Wilson (freshman/Wellsboro) and Warren Blume (sophomore/Aaronsburg) won the men's doubles championship

"We won the overall state by more than 600 pins. It was a really good tournament," coach Debbie Vincenzes said.

Competition was held under more difficult conditions than normal as what Vincenzes termed "sport shot" oil conditions were used on the lanes.

"If you compared this year's scores to last year, they were a lot lower. It would be more like a national-level tournament shot for a Division I college," she said. "Bowling can be made easier or harder depending on the placement of oil on the lane. The more oil that's in the middle of the lane and the drier that the edges are the higher scores are going to be. What we bowled on was a long, almost flat, oil shot. It was oil from gutter to gutter and it was the same amount gutter to gutter."

Fortunately, Wildcat bowlers sometimes practice under those conditions so they were ready.

"Usually, the West (Division) brings a little bit more competition, but I think what hurt some of the other teams is that they weren't prepared for what they had to bowl on," Vincenzes said. "It was a real tough condition, and we did quite well on it."

Pollock rolled an 1,806 to win the all events, bettering teammate Burkhart, who finished second, by 110 pins. Pollock also finished second in men's singles and the Penn College White Team of Joe Ianaro (junior/Frenchville), Ben Zech (junior/Dover), Bryann Bingaman (freshman/Middleburg), Preston McKay (junior/Kersey), Blume and Wilson placed second in the men's overall.

Commenting on her squad, Vincenzes said, "We've been very lucky because our bowlers, almost all of them, have already bowled in a high school program or have had real good bowling background and good instruction before they get to us; so our program has more depth talentwise than anybody in our conference. We've been very fortunate for the talent we get at Penn College.

"The kids did it themselves. They were just a real great bunch of kids. They worked hard."

( Complete rosters and season schedules are available on the college's Athletics Web site. )