Woodcock-Bilger makes all-tournament team, CCSJ finish 3rd in Las Vegas Glenn Carlson Invitational
Las Vegas, NV – The Calumet College of St. Joseph women's bowling team traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada for their four-day bowling competition at the South Point Bowling Plaza that features some of the top-ranked teams in the country.
On December 18-19, CCSJ competed in the Glenn Carlson Invitational where they finished first overall after five qualifying games. Helping the team reach an overall best score of 4853 on Day 1 of competing was Ariana Woodcock-Bilger and Morgan Schoon with standout performances.
Woodcock-Bilger led the women's individual division with a total of 1087, an average of 217.4 over five games. Schoon was just outside the top-5 siting at 6th with a total of 1032, an average of 206.4.
After the three qualifying games on Day 2, the Crimson Wave held onto its top spot and were the highest ranked team headed into the team baker finals. Entering bracket play in a pool consisting of eight teams, CCSJ was proclaimed the No. 1-seed.
In the opening round, CCSJ beat Saint Vincent 3-1. Unfortunately for the Wave, they were swept three games to zero in the next round to Milligan University, who eventually went on and won the championship.
CCSJ took a third-place finish for the Glenn Carlson Invitational and Woodcock-Bilger was recognized as a women's all-tournament team member. Woodcock-Bilger came in 2nd place individually amongst more than 230 bowlers. After her final three games on Friday, she ended with a total score of 1682, taking her average to 210.25 over eight games.
Schoon, who was in the top-5 after Day 1, finished 9th overall after Day 2. She recorded a total score of 1601, with a tournament average of 200.13 through eight games.
Other bowlers had great performances as well throughout the tournament as Shawna Fizer finished 34th overall with a score of 1509, giving her a tournament average of 188.63. Samantha Smolen finished just outside the top-50 at 51stoverall with a score of 1471, giving her a tournament aveage of 183.88 through eight games. Robin Edwards wasn't far behind finishing 53rd best individually, posting a score of 1470 through eight games.
Collegiate Shoot-Out
On December 20-21, CCSJ would complete its four-day Las Vegas bowling trip with the Collegiate Shoot-Out. The Crimson Wave bowled five team games on Saturday and 16 baker games on Sunday.
CCSJ placed 17th with an overall total of 7306. Despite not qualifying for the semi-final matches, the Crimson Wave performed well after competing against 41 other teams.
Samantha Smolen led the team individually finishing at 56th place, notching an individual total of 906, average of 181.2 through five games. Shawna Fizer came in 84th place after posting a total of 867 in five games. Robin Edwards finished in 98th place with an individual total of 842 and Ariana Woodcock-Bilger came in 106th after recording a total of 822.
"The team delivered a strong performance throughout the weekend," women's head bowling coach Linda Olszewski said. "We worked on cohesion and mindset to strengthen our foundation moving forward. … I also loved that our new players got a chance to hit the lanes and make some valuable contributions as well."
Up Next
The Crimson Wave take a couple weekends off before the Storm Baker Challenge begins on January 10th at the Stardust Bowl in Addison, Illinois.