Illinois Wesleyan added women’s bowling to its list of athletic teams last fall. The team is coached by Anthony Lunsford, who graduated from IWU in 2018. As of now, the team consists of six members; tournament regulation requires at least five active team members in order to compete. The team’s first competition will be held next Saturday, January 30.
Tournaments will consist of two types of bowling, baker and match-play. The baker style is most similar to that of a team sport, as five players play one frame together, alternating turns, against another team. Team match-play is where each bowler plays a full frame, all of the scores from the team members are added together, and compared to another team.
Most of the team is new to bowling as a competitive sport, but freshman Macy Michorczyk was a two year letterwinner at her alma mater West Leyden High School. The rest of the team is pumped for a great season and to be a part of this team’s inaugural year.
“I’m most excited for the road trips with the team,” Junior Jade Miller said.
The main consensus of the team is a readiness to learn something new while staying active and getting to know each other.
“I’m excited to try something new while having fun,” sophomore Alivia Catey said. Coach Lunsford has been an active bowler for over 15 years, starting with his career as a youth bowler and is described as a “collegiate bowling standout at Ashford University” according to IWU athletics. He also bowled competitively in both Illinois and Iowa before returning to Bloomington to coach for Wesleyan. Lunsford is the first bowling coach in IWU history.
The team practices three times a week at Pheasant Lanes in Bloomington. They will travel every Saturday for competitions to several colleges around Illinois, including Elmhurst College, North Central College, Augustana and Carthage. The CCIW tournament will tentatively take place in Racine, Wisc. over the weekends of March 13th and March 20th. Due to the coronavirus, the competition schedule is still indefinite.
