SHAWNEE, Okla. (Feb. 10, 2019) –
Taylore Ryan and
Melissa McConnell each earned both all-tournament and All-Southwest Intercollegiate Bowling Circuit honors Sunday while leading Oklahoma Christian to a fourth-place finish at the SWIBC Championships at Firelake Bowl.
McConnell, a sophomore from Canton, Ga., dropped one spot in the individual race but still finished third among 38 bowlers with a score of 1,720 over nine games, rolling a 225 in one game on Sunday. Ryan, a freshman from Allen, Texas, made a big move, jumping four spots into fourth at 1,717 thanks in good part to a 246 game on Sunday.
The top-five finishes put both Ryan and McConnell on the all-tournament team and secured spots on the 10-woman All-SWIBC squad.
"They have been the leaders on the lanes for the Lady Eagles," OC coach
James Hayes said. "I could not be more proud of them and their amazing accomplishments as first-year collegiate bowlers."
After six team games on Saturday and three moreon Sunday, OC hung on to finish second among the seven teams with 7,891 pins, trailing only Kansas Wesleyan with 8,384 pins. That advanced the Lady Eagles into match play – which used a Baker game format – which determined the tournament team placings.
OC fell 3-2 to third-seeded West Texas A&M in the semifinals, then to Southwestern Christian in the third-place match. Still, despite the fourth-place showing Sunday, OC moved up two spots in the final SWIBC season standings to third, with 350 standings points. West Texas A&M (560) edged Kansas Wesleyan (550) for the season title, even though Kansas Wesleyan beat West Texas A&M in match play for the tournament title Sunday.
Carolina Snowden of Kansas Wesleyan was the individual champion with a score of 1,876 over nine games.
"We fought hard in qualifying and were able to hang on to the number two seed, which was very important for us, needing some good sectionals points to help solidify their spot in that tournament," Hayes said. "We came up a little short in match play but that's definitely nothing to hang our heads about. These ladies have worked hard all season and it has shown. They continue to get better each week and I am very proud of them."
Nationally, the Lady Eagles entered the tournament ranked 56th among 146 teams. They appear to be in strong position to qualify for the Intercollegiate Team Championships Sectional Qualifier, set for March 8-10 at USA Bowl in Dallas. Qualifiers for the sectional event will be announced Feb. 20.
