FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – The top-ranked McKendree University women's bowling team posted a 5-0 record here Saturday on the second day of the Bearcat Roto Grip Open at St. Clair Bowl to push its record to 9-0 overall entering Sunday's final day of competition.
Through two days and 10 matches, the Bearcats are sitting in first place with a total pinfall of 10,113 and are averaging 202.3 pins per game.
In Saturday's traditional games, the Bearcats opened the day with a win over 25th-ranked Newman University (1,047-859), before collecting wins over Kentucky Wesleyan (1,074-871), 21st-ranked Central Missouri (1,032-858), Quincy (1,016-908) and Tusculum (1,043-797). McKendree was the only team in the field to record over 1,000 pins in every game on Saturday.
Four Bearcat bowlers sit in the Top 20 of the individual standings following Saturday's five traditional matches. Leading the way is senior Kayla Smith (Salem, Ill./Salem), who is second overall with a pinfall of 1,116 and averaged 223.20 per game and had a high game of 277 against Kentucky Wesleyan. She also had a 239 against Quincy and a 224 against Tusculum.
Mercyhurst's Haley Youker sits atop the individual leaderboard as she recorded a total pinfall of 1,132 to sit just 16 pins in front of Smith. Youker averaged 226.40 per game and had a high game of 268.
In addition to Smith, three-time NTCA All-American graduate student Hope Gramly (Prosper, Texas/Prosper) sits in third place with a pinfall of 1,082 and averaged 216.40 per game. Gramly had 200 or more pins in four of five games with a high game of 246 against Tusculum.
Senior NTCA All-American Maranda Pattison (Redwood City, Calif./Ukiah Independent) is ninth with a pinfall total of 1,035 and averaged 207.00 per game. Patttison had three games of 200 or better, including a high game of 235 against Newman.
The fourth Bearcat in the Top 20 is junior Isabel Allen (Tamworth, England/Polesworth High), who recorded a total pinfall of 985 and averaged 197.00 per game. Allen opened with back-to-back 200-plus games as she had a high of 258 against Newman and then bowled a 210 against Kentucky Wesleyan.
McKendree will resume play on Sunday for the third and final day of the event at 8:30 a.m. against Mercyhurst in the final traditional game.
The results from Friday and Saturday along with the single traditional match Sunday morning will determine the seeding for Sunday's Championship bracket. During this championship tournament each team will compete in a best four-of-seven Baker style match
Bearcat Roto Grip Open Current Standings (Pinfall total after second day of competition)
No. 1 McKendree (10,113) – 9-0
Mercyhurst (9,789) – 7-2
No. 3 Nebraska (9,733) – 6-3
No. 24 Lincoln Memorial (9,642) – 7-3
No. 15 Maryville (9,533) – 6-3
No. 25 Newman (9,501) – 3-6
No. 21 Central Missouri (9,144) – 5-4
Kentucky Wesleyan (8,967) – 2-7
Upper Iowa (8,907) – 4-5
Quincy (8,796) – 1-8
Tusculum (8,598) – 0-9
