Bowling Competes in First Tier One Event

WICHITA, Kan. – The Avila bowling team continued to chart new ground in its inaugural season, traveling to Wichita to compete in the 62nd annual Mid-States Championships on Saturday and Sunday. The men competed at Northrock Lanes with the women nearby at West Acres Bowling Center, facing a stacked field from across the country and across all divisions of college athletics.

Avila navigated through the challenging competition in a field that was literally twice the size of their first event last month and battled difficult lane conditions to place 24^th in both the men’s and women’s events. Caleb Wangler ripped off a 266, one of the best individual scores all weekend, in his third game Saturday to pace the Eagle men in average, while Devyn Coleman was consistent as ever, placing in the top 50 overall to lead the women.

“I think it’s safe to say that both teams and their coach had eye-opening experiences at The Mid-States Championships in Wichita this weekend,” head coach Paul Wolf said. “This year is about learning, figuring out where we want to be as teams and what we need to work on. It never ends, but I personally couldn’t ask for a better group of athletes to start this program with. As long as we can take away some positives from every competition, we will only get better.”

The Mid-States is a long-running, highly competitive and well-known annual event, and it’s significant because it’s designated as a Tier 1 event by the United States Bowling Congress, one of the country’s most influential governing bodies. Teams must compete in Tier 1 events throughout the year to be eligible for USBC postseason events, and points accrued in the standings at Tier 1 events are worth more towards USBC qualifying than other events are. This is one of two Tier 1 events Avila Bowling is slated to compete in in its inaugural season – most college teams only compete in two or three all year, Wolf, the veteran bowler, says.

The 2021 Mid-States event featured six traditional team games where every individual bowls ten frames on Saturday followed by 20 total Baker-style games when every member of a team cycles through frames on Sunday. Pin totals from both days are collected and summed to determine final standings, and the top eight teams from each side advance to a bracket-style knockout round. Sam Houston State was the winner of the women’s event while Wichita State emerged victorious on the men’s side.

Avila bowling will get right back into the action this weekend…