Both Bowling Teams Advance to Round Four on Day Two of Lions Classic

St. CHARLES, Mo. – Both Avila Bowling teams produced strong Sunday showings at the 2021 Lindenwood Lions Classic in St. Charles on October 24, each winning a pair of games in Sunday’s double-elimination bracket to advance to the fourth round in both teams’ third-ever collegiate event.

The 13^th Annual Lions Classic featured a unique format, and some of the more challenging lane conditions that the Eagles have faced thus far in their maiden seasons. On Saturday, all competitors bowled three traditional ten-frame games followed by 2020 total Baker-style games. Team scores from Saturday determined members of the all-tournament team and, more critically, bracket seeding for Sunday.

Sunday brought along an intricate knockout-round bracket where all ten teams qualified and then were matched up for a best-of-three, double-elimination head-to-head, Baker-style knockout competition for the tournament title. Essentially, lose two head-to-head games and you’re out of a match; lose two matches and you’re out of the tournament.

The Avila men had a solid showing on Saturday at St. Charles Lanes, finishing in seventh out of ten total teams. Caleb Wangler paced the Eagles with an average of 177 in the three traditional games, good for 37^th best among all bowlers, though all four of the other Eagle bowlers finished with an average within 20 of Wangler’s, showing the team’s consistency up and down the lineup.

The #7-seeded Eagles began Sunday’s marathon event with a matchup with #10-seeded Kansas. The two teams split the first two head-to-head games before Avila produced a 213 as a team to advance to the winners’ bracket and earn a date with the hosts, #2-seeded Lindenwood. The Lions won the first game, but the Eagles once again delivered when called upon, firing off another 213 and then bettering themselves with a 224, one of the best scores by any team on Sunday, to knock off Lindenwood and advance to round three.

There, the competition got stiffer. After the Eagles fell to #3-seeded Newman in round three, Lindenwood was lying in wait, and the Lions won the rematch to advance and end the Eagles’ impressive run. Lindenwood and Newman then faced off for a spot in the final which the Jets earned, before falling to top-seeded McKendree in the tournament title game.

Meanwhile, over at Plaza Lanes, the Avila women fared much better in their Baker games on Saturday than in their traditional, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Eagles out of tenth place after one day of action.