Titles determined at 2024 Intercollegiate Team and Singles Championships
April 21, 2024
NOTE: If you do not want to know who won the titles at the 2024 Intercollegiate Team Championships and Intercollegiate Singles Championships, do not scroll down in this story.
The finals were taped for broadcast Saturday, April 20, with air dates on CBS Sports Network scheduled through April and May. The TV broadcast dates for each event is as follows:
Tuesday, April 23: Women's ISC finals
Tuesday, April 30: Men's ISC finals
Tuesday, May 7: Women's ITC finals
Tuesday, May 14: Men's ITC finals
ITC QUALIFYING I ITC MEN'S BRACKET I ITC WOMEN'S BRACKET
ISC QUALIFYING I ISC MEN'S BRACKET I ICS WOMEN'S BRACKET
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Webber International men and Wichita State women captured team championships, and Wichita State’s Sara Duque and Jaysen Spanbauer of Marian-Wisconsin claimed singles titles at the 2024 Intercollegiate Team and Singles Championships at Kingpin Lanes in the Greater Louisville area on Saturday.
The championship rounds in the men’s and women’s divisions in each event were taped for broadcast and will air on Tuesdays in April and May on CBS Sports Network.
The ISC women’s finals will air Tuesday, April 23, followed by the ISC men’s finals on April 30, the ITC women’s title match on May 7 and the ITC men’s final on May 14.
2024 ITC men's national champion - Webber International
This year marked the 50th edition of the United States Bowling Congress Collegiate team national championship tournament, and Saturday’s title match between Webber International and Lawrence Tech was undoubtedly one of the most exciting in the event’s history.
Webber came in looking for its third men’s ITC title while Lawrence Tech was hoping to break through and collect the first in program history.
Much to the delight of the capacity crowd feverishly supporting both teams, the match was action packed throughout with neither team, nor fan base, willing to give an inch.
Webber International got on the board first, closing Game 1 with a five bagger to top Lawrence Tech by a score of 213-180 and take a 1-0 lead as the green-and-gold clad Warrior faithful serenaded the team with chants of “GO WEBBER, WEBBER, GO WEBBER, GO WEBBER, GO!”
But Lawrence Tech wasn’t intimidated, and as its fans loudly asked “WHO ARE YOU,” the Blue Devils declared “LTU” over and over again as they bested Webber International 224-195 during Game 2 and 235-176 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead and put themselves just one win away from securing their first ever ITC title.
As the two teams approached the end of Game 4, it looked as if Lawrence Tech was going to get it too after Webber suffered an open in the seventh frame and appeared to be on the verge of another in the eighth after leaving a 1-2-10 washout.
However, Webber’s Nick Larsen had other ideas.
He was put into the lineup to convert the spare, and convert it he did, sending the head pin to the side wall and catching just enough of the 10-pin to send it toppling over to successfully fill the frame.
Riding the momentum of Larsen’s clutch conversion, Webber’s Brett Lloyd delivered a strike in the ninth, and Brandon Bohn added one of his own on the first ball in the 10th to give the Warriors a 210-199 victory and extend the match to a winner-take-all fifth game.
Webber took the early lead during the deciding game, starting double, spare, double, spare while Lawrence Tech managed just two strikes during that same span.
The tide turned shortly thereafter though as a Webber open in the seventh combined with a clutch turkey from Lawrence Tech in frames seven, eight and nine put the Blue Devils back in the driver’s seat once again.
Webber rebounded with strikes from Charles Bostic in the eighth and Bohn in the ninth to keep things close, but Lawrence Tech still controlled its own destiny. If it could produce a double and eight in the 10th frame, the match would be over before Lloyd ever stepped for the Warriors’ final frame.
That double never came, however; instead, the Blue Devils were left to contend with a 1-3-7 washout, which they were unable to convert.
With Lawrence Tech in with a score of 203, Lloyd’s task was crystal clear. If he could deliver a mark, the 2024 ITC men’s title would belong to Webber International.
Given just how many times Lloyd and the Warriors managed to come through under pressure throughout this year’s tournament, it came as little surprise when Lloyd delivered a picture-perfect strike to win the game (224-203), the match (3-2) and the program’s third men’s national title.
When asked about that final shot, Lloyd, who in addition to being named to the 2024 ITC men’s all-tournament team was selected as the event’s MVP, didn’t mince words.
“All year I’ve been practicing for this type of moment because whether it’s me or Brandon or A.J. (Wolstenholme) or Charles or James (Bennett), anybody can get put in there at any time,” Lloyd said. “I just knew that I had to be ready because it was my time. My guys set me up and made my job easy, and I just took care of business.”
The fact that Lloyd was in the anchor position with the national title on the line during Game 5 was noteworthy because he had actually occupied the No. 4 position in the Webber lineup during Games 1-4 in the final match.
Nevertheless, the Webber coaching staff opted to make the switch heading into the deciding game, and the rest is history.
“We had belief in Brett (Lloyd) in that moment,” Webber International Associate Head Coach Sydney Brummett said. “I’ve had the pleasure of spending the last two and a half years of my coaching career with Brett. Time and time again I’ve put him in this position, and it hasn’t always gone the way we wanted it to. But all the times that didn’t go how we wanted to set him up for success today. I knew that he was prepared and that all he had to do was trust himself and his teammates.”
Trust was a major buzz word in the Webber camp, trust in the process, trust in one another and trust that everything that happened throughout this year’s ITCs was part of a bigger plan.
“The guys told me in the van on the way over here today that it was in the script that things weren’t going to go perfectly,” Brummett said. “Nothing in our season has gone perfectly, so they said that there’s a script that said we were going to be down 2-1 and eventually need a big shot like that. That’s just sort of the way this team is, so I think they manifested the drama and the rollercoaster ride that we went on during that match. Honestly, it just wouldn’t be this team’s style if it didn’t go like that.”
Still, despite the emotional firestorm she had just experienced, when all was said and done, Brummett found a sense of calm.
“Everything we did all year long was designed with the intent of us doing exactly this today, so right now I just feel at peace, like I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Brummett said.
The 2024 Webber International championship team included Bennett, Bohn, Bostic, Austin Grammar, Larsen, Lloyd, Aaron Reingold and Wolstenholme.
In addition to Lloyd, the men’s all-tournament team featured Bohn, Wichita State’s Spencer Robarge, Indiana Tech’s Alex Horton and Cayleb Carey of Lawrence Tech.
The Chris Stoehr Sportsmanship award in the men’s division went to Julian Salinas of Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah.
2024 ITC women's national champion - Wichita State
In the women’s title match, Wichita State anchor bowler Mary Orf was clutch early on, delivering a double in the 10th frame of Game 1 and a turkey to close Game 2 to help the Shockers jump out to a 2-0 lead by scores of 200-186 and 191-173.
However, Jacksonville State was not about to back down, so, showing the grit that led the squad to victory at the NCAA’s 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship just one week earlier, the Gamecocks dug in and fought back.
They put up a four-bagger in frames five through eight to grind out a 224-215 victory in Game 3, and they used another during the sixth-through-ninth frames to erase the sting of three early opens and rally for a 200-176 match-tying win in Game 4.
After having won two games in a row, it appeared as if maybe the momentum had shifted in Jacksonville State’s direction heading into the deciding game.
But that notion was dispelled quickly as after both teams began the fifth game with open frames, Wichita State rattled off nine strikes in a row.
Jacksonville State stayed locked in on the pocket as well, but the pins wouldn’t cooperate as the Gamecocks doubled twice and managed just five strikes total in a 264-199 loss that sent the Helmer Cup home with Wichita State for a record 11th time courtesy of a 3-2 victory.
Wichita State Head Coach Holly Harris has spoken at length about how special she finds this year’s team to be, so it was especially gratifying for her to watch this squad add to Wichita State’s legacy of success and bring home the crown during the 50th edition of USBC Collegiate’s national championship tournament.
“This group just gets along and has a genuine love for each other, and that’s not something you see on a lot of women’s teams,” Harris said. “The love that they have is contagious, and the vibe that they bring just makes it a joy for me to watch them play.”
Harris certainly enjoyed what she saw on Saturday, especially the tenacity the group showed after it was forced to contend with having given up its early 2-0 lead.
“We went up two games, lost the next two and then threw nine in a row at them that last game,” Harris said. “It was amazing to watch us be so resilient in the face of all that. It shows them that we can do hard things, and we can do hard things together. We’ve said it all year, so to be able to say it, know it and now do it was really special.”
Wichita State’s 2024 championship team featured Sara Duque, Brooklyn Gagnon, Aleesha Oden, Orf, Piper Reams, Paige Wagner and Ashtyn Woods.
Orf was named to the all-tournament team and was the women’s division’s most valuable player. Joining Orf with all-tournament honors were Mount Mercy’s Megan Kolberg, Lara Kurt of Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah, Jacksonville State’s Crystal Elliott and Allie Leiendecker of Louisiana Tech.
The Chris Stoehr Sportsmanship award in the women’s division went to Maya Avilez of North Carolina A&T.
2024 ISC women's national champion - Sara Duque - Wichita State
On some level, it could be argued that Wichita State’s Duque wasn’t a great sport on Saturday. Not because she behaved inappropriately in any way, but because she was a bit greedy when it came to taking home trophies.
That’s because just a couple hours after she helped the Shockers capture the 2024 ITC women’s title, Duque took down Lindenwood’s Hailey Bozych, 234-167, to bring this year’s ISC women’s crown back to Wichita as well.
Duque jumped ahead early during the title match and never looked back, using a turkey and two Bozych opens to take a 47 pin lead after six frames.
Bozych did her best to hang in there, but it was to no avail as Duque was simply too. When the Wichita State right-hander struck in the ninth frame, the match was officially over, and the national title was hers.
After advancing to the women’s semifinals on Wednesday, Duque said that it was gratifying to see her hard work and dedication pay off. After she’d finished the job and emerged as the 2024 ISC women’s national champion on Saturday, words were a bit tougher to come by.
“This feels so awesome; I really don’t even have words,” Duque said. “I didn’t think that I’d have the chance to win this, so I’m really happy and excited.”
But while Duque was understandably excited about her singles victory, what made the day even more special was everything she was able to share and accomplish with her teammates.
“As great as it is to win singles, it was even more fun to win with the team because we all worked so hard all year to make that happen,” Duque said. “I am even happier about the team championship than the singles championship, but I’m really glad for both of them.”
Another special aspect of Duque’s victory was that it marked the second consecutive year that a Wichita State bowler brought home the ISC women’s title as Wagner brought home the crown in 2023.
“When I made the semfinals, I told Paige (Wagner) that I was going to win the trophy for her, so I feel very proud that I was able to do that, and I think she’s happy too,” Duque said.
Duque punched her ticket to the women’s title match by topping Vanderbilt’s Natalie Kent by a score of 219-170 during Semifinal No. 1.
In the other women’s semifinal, Bozych used a four-bagger in frames six through nine to get past top seed Crystal Elliott of Jacksonville State, 212-183.
2024 ISC men's national champion - Jaysen Spanbauer - Marian-Wisconsin
But several hours before the ladies took to the lanes, the men kicked off Saturday’s slate of collegiate bowling action at Kingpin Lanes, and they did so in fine fashion as the men’s ISC TV show was entertaining from start to finish with all three matches coming down to the 10th frame.
In the opener, Wichita State’s Braden Mallasch struck out in the ninth and 10th frames to post a score of 234, which forced Hastings College left-hander Carstin Olson to get the first strike during his final frame to win.
Olson was unable to deliver the strike he needed, however, as his ball got left of target early and then over-hooked, going through the face and leaving the 2-4. He would convert the spare, but he still came up on the short end of a 234-227 final score.
With the victory, Mallasch advanced to the title match where he would face the winner of Semifinal No. 2, which featured Spanbauer and Mallasch’s Wichita State teammate Ryan Barnes.
Spanbauer and Barnes put on quite a show, combining to strike on 19 of 23 deliveries during their semifinal match.
Nevertheless, someone had to win, and someone had to lose, and it was Spanbauer who came out on top, 259-253, after Barnes’ second ball in the 10th frame left a ringing 10-pin.
With one Shocker out of the way, Spanbauer headed to the title match looking to dispatch the other.
He appeared to be well on his way to doing just that during the early stages of the match as he opened the bout with a six-bagger to quickly establish a 41-pin lead.
But that’s when things got interesting.
Spanbauer’s seventh shot went high, leaving the 3-10 baby split, which he failed to convert, leaving the 3-pin behind.
He recovered by delivering a dramatic messenger strike in the eighth frame, sending the head pin to the side wall and then bouncing across the lane to aggressively take down the 10-pin.
That strike, combined with a ringing 10-pin in the eighth for Mallasch, made Spanbauer’s path to victory quite clear: If he could stay clean during the ninth and 10th frames, he would be the 2024 men’s ISC national champion.
But just as it did two frames earlier, Spanbauer’s ball went high again during the ninth frame, leaving a 4-10 split that put him in danger of opening for the second time in three frames and opening the door back up for Mallasch.
Content to just get good pin count, Spanbauer’s attempt at the conversion covered most of the 4-pin, making it clear that the pin would not slide over to take out the ten.
But he didn’t need it to as instead of sliding over, the 4-pin deflected off the curtain and came back toward the pin deck to trip the 10-pin from behind, resulting in an improbable split conversion that made the crowd go wild and put Spanbauer right back on the verge of victory.
He wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away. Needing a mark in the 10th to win, Spanbauer delivered a strike on his first shot to officially lock up the match and men’s singles national title.
When the final pins had fallen, Spanbauer had defeated Mallasch 236-205 and collected a victory that he could hardly put into words.
“This is incredible,” Spanbauer said. “I’ve learned so much during the last two years, and this title gives me so much confidence going forward in my bowling. I’m excited to see where this takes me.”
Spanbauer attributes Saturday’s title and the overall success he’s enjoyed during his first two collegiate seasons to a vastly improved mental game.
“I knew that today was going to come down to whoever could stay strongest mentally because we all have enough physical talent to get the job done,” Spanbauer said. “Going into college, I probably had the worst mental game. I didn’t know what to do, and I’d always get angry and blame other people. But bowling is a sport where you can only control what you can control, and you take advantage of what you’re given. I stayed patient and took advantage of what the lanes gave me all week, and that allowed me to walk away with the title.”
All qualifying and match-play rounds held prior to the televised finals were broadcast on BowlTV.com.
Teams and individuals competing at Kingpin Lanes this week earned their spots at the ITC and ISC through four sectional qualifiers held throughout the country in March.
For more information on the Intercollegiate Team Championships, visit BOWL.com/ITC. To learn more about the Intercollegiate Singles Championships, visit BOWL.com/ISC.
The finals were taped for broadcast Saturday, April 20, with air dates on CBS Sports Network scheduled through April and May. The TV broadcast dates for each event is as follows:
Tuesday, April 23: Women's ISC finals
Tuesday, April 30: Men's ISC finals
Tuesday, May 7: Women's ITC finals
Tuesday, May 14: Men's ITC finals
ITC QUALIFYING I ITC MEN'S BRACKET I ITC WOMEN'S BRACKET
ISC QUALIFYING I ISC MEN'S BRACKET I ICS WOMEN'S BRACKET
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Webber International men and Wichita State women captured team championships, and Wichita State’s Sara Duque and Jaysen Spanbauer of Marian-Wisconsin claimed singles titles at the 2024 Intercollegiate Team and Singles Championships at Kingpin Lanes in the Greater Louisville area on Saturday.
The championship rounds in the men’s and women’s divisions in each event were taped for broadcast and will air on Tuesdays in April and May on CBS Sports Network.
The ISC women’s finals will air Tuesday, April 23, followed by the ISC men’s finals on April 30, the ITC women’s title match on May 7 and the ITC men’s final on May 14.
2024 ITC men's national champion - Webber International
This year marked the 50th edition of the United States Bowling Congress Collegiate team national championship tournament, and Saturday’s title match between Webber International and Lawrence Tech was undoubtedly one of the most exciting in the event’s history.
Webber came in looking for its third men’s ITC title while Lawrence Tech was hoping to break through and collect the first in program history.
Much to the delight of the capacity crowd feverishly supporting both teams, the match was action packed throughout with neither team, nor fan base, willing to give an inch.
Webber International got on the board first, closing Game 1 with a five bagger to top Lawrence Tech by a score of 213-180 and take a 1-0 lead as the green-and-gold clad Warrior faithful serenaded the team with chants of “GO WEBBER, WEBBER, GO WEBBER, GO WEBBER, GO!”
But Lawrence Tech wasn’t intimidated, and as its fans loudly asked “WHO ARE YOU,” the Blue Devils declared “LTU” over and over again as they bested Webber International 224-195 during Game 2 and 235-176 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead and put themselves just one win away from securing their first ever ITC title.
As the two teams approached the end of Game 4, it looked as if Lawrence Tech was going to get it too after Webber suffered an open in the seventh frame and appeared to be on the verge of another in the eighth after leaving a 1-2-10 washout.
However, Webber’s Nick Larsen had other ideas.
He was put into the lineup to convert the spare, and convert it he did, sending the head pin to the side wall and catching just enough of the 10-pin to send it toppling over to successfully fill the frame.
Riding the momentum of Larsen’s clutch conversion, Webber’s Brett Lloyd delivered a strike in the ninth, and Brandon Bohn added one of his own on the first ball in the 10th to give the Warriors a 210-199 victory and extend the match to a winner-take-all fifth game.
Webber took the early lead during the deciding game, starting double, spare, double, spare while Lawrence Tech managed just two strikes during that same span.
The tide turned shortly thereafter though as a Webber open in the seventh combined with a clutch turkey from Lawrence Tech in frames seven, eight and nine put the Blue Devils back in the driver’s seat once again.
Webber rebounded with strikes from Charles Bostic in the eighth and Bohn in the ninth to keep things close, but Lawrence Tech still controlled its own destiny. If it could produce a double and eight in the 10th frame, the match would be over before Lloyd ever stepped for the Warriors’ final frame.
That double never came, however; instead, the Blue Devils were left to contend with a 1-3-7 washout, which they were unable to convert.
With Lawrence Tech in with a score of 203, Lloyd’s task was crystal clear. If he could deliver a mark, the 2024 ITC men’s title would belong to Webber International.
Given just how many times Lloyd and the Warriors managed to come through under pressure throughout this year’s tournament, it came as little surprise when Lloyd delivered a picture-perfect strike to win the game (224-203), the match (3-2) and the program’s third men’s national title.
When asked about that final shot, Lloyd, who in addition to being named to the 2024 ITC men’s all-tournament team was selected as the event’s MVP, didn’t mince words.
“All year I’ve been practicing for this type of moment because whether it’s me or Brandon or A.J. (Wolstenholme) or Charles or James (Bennett), anybody can get put in there at any time,” Lloyd said. “I just knew that I had to be ready because it was my time. My guys set me up and made my job easy, and I just took care of business.”
The fact that Lloyd was in the anchor position with the national title on the line during Game 5 was noteworthy because he had actually occupied the No. 4 position in the Webber lineup during Games 1-4 in the final match.
Nevertheless, the Webber coaching staff opted to make the switch heading into the deciding game, and the rest is history.
“We had belief in Brett (Lloyd) in that moment,” Webber International Associate Head Coach Sydney Brummett said. “I’ve had the pleasure of spending the last two and a half years of my coaching career with Brett. Time and time again I’ve put him in this position, and it hasn’t always gone the way we wanted it to. But all the times that didn’t go how we wanted to set him up for success today. I knew that he was prepared and that all he had to do was trust himself and his teammates.”
Trust was a major buzz word in the Webber camp, trust in the process, trust in one another and trust that everything that happened throughout this year’s ITCs was part of a bigger plan.
“The guys told me in the van on the way over here today that it was in the script that things weren’t going to go perfectly,” Brummett said. “Nothing in our season has gone perfectly, so they said that there’s a script that said we were going to be down 2-1 and eventually need a big shot like that. That’s just sort of the way this team is, so I think they manifested the drama and the rollercoaster ride that we went on during that match. Honestly, it just wouldn’t be this team’s style if it didn’t go like that.”
Still, despite the emotional firestorm she had just experienced, when all was said and done, Brummett found a sense of calm.
“Everything we did all year long was designed with the intent of us doing exactly this today, so right now I just feel at peace, like I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Brummett said.
The 2024 Webber International championship team included Bennett, Bohn, Bostic, Austin Grammar, Larsen, Lloyd, Aaron Reingold and Wolstenholme.
In addition to Lloyd, the men’s all-tournament team featured Bohn, Wichita State’s Spencer Robarge, Indiana Tech’s Alex Horton and Cayleb Carey of Lawrence Tech.
The Chris Stoehr Sportsmanship award in the men’s division went to Julian Salinas of Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah.
2024 ITC women's national champion - Wichita State
In the women’s title match, Wichita State anchor bowler Mary Orf was clutch early on, delivering a double in the 10th frame of Game 1 and a turkey to close Game 2 to help the Shockers jump out to a 2-0 lead by scores of 200-186 and 191-173.
However, Jacksonville State was not about to back down, so, showing the grit that led the squad to victory at the NCAA’s 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship just one week earlier, the Gamecocks dug in and fought back.
They put up a four-bagger in frames five through eight to grind out a 224-215 victory in Game 3, and they used another during the sixth-through-ninth frames to erase the sting of three early opens and rally for a 200-176 match-tying win in Game 4.
After having won two games in a row, it appeared as if maybe the momentum had shifted in Jacksonville State’s direction heading into the deciding game.
But that notion was dispelled quickly as after both teams began the fifth game with open frames, Wichita State rattled off nine strikes in a row.
Jacksonville State stayed locked in on the pocket as well, but the pins wouldn’t cooperate as the Gamecocks doubled twice and managed just five strikes total in a 264-199 loss that sent the Helmer Cup home with Wichita State for a record 11th time courtesy of a 3-2 victory.
Wichita State Head Coach Holly Harris has spoken at length about how special she finds this year’s team to be, so it was especially gratifying for her to watch this squad add to Wichita State’s legacy of success and bring home the crown during the 50th edition of USBC Collegiate’s national championship tournament.
“This group just gets along and has a genuine love for each other, and that’s not something you see on a lot of women’s teams,” Harris said. “The love that they have is contagious, and the vibe that they bring just makes it a joy for me to watch them play.”
Harris certainly enjoyed what she saw on Saturday, especially the tenacity the group showed after it was forced to contend with having given up its early 2-0 lead.
“We went up two games, lost the next two and then threw nine in a row at them that last game,” Harris said. “It was amazing to watch us be so resilient in the face of all that. It shows them that we can do hard things, and we can do hard things together. We’ve said it all year, so to be able to say it, know it and now do it was really special.”
Wichita State’s 2024 championship team featured Sara Duque, Brooklyn Gagnon, Aleesha Oden, Orf, Piper Reams, Paige Wagner and Ashtyn Woods.
Orf was named to the all-tournament team and was the women’s division’s most valuable player. Joining Orf with all-tournament honors were Mount Mercy’s Megan Kolberg, Lara Kurt of Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah, Jacksonville State’s Crystal Elliott and Allie Leiendecker of Louisiana Tech.
The Chris Stoehr Sportsmanship award in the women’s division went to Maya Avilez of North Carolina A&T.
2024 ISC women's national champion - Sara Duque - Wichita State
On some level, it could be argued that Wichita State’s Duque wasn’t a great sport on Saturday. Not because she behaved inappropriately in any way, but because she was a bit greedy when it came to taking home trophies.
That’s because just a couple hours after she helped the Shockers capture the 2024 ITC women’s title, Duque took down Lindenwood’s Hailey Bozych, 234-167, to bring this year’s ISC women’s crown back to Wichita as well.
Duque jumped ahead early during the title match and never looked back, using a turkey and two Bozych opens to take a 47 pin lead after six frames.
Bozych did her best to hang in there, but it was to no avail as Duque was simply too. When the Wichita State right-hander struck in the ninth frame, the match was officially over, and the national title was hers.
After advancing to the women’s semifinals on Wednesday, Duque said that it was gratifying to see her hard work and dedication pay off. After she’d finished the job and emerged as the 2024 ISC women’s national champion on Saturday, words were a bit tougher to come by.
“This feels so awesome; I really don’t even have words,” Duque said. “I didn’t think that I’d have the chance to win this, so I’m really happy and excited.”
But while Duque was understandably excited about her singles victory, what made the day even more special was everything she was able to share and accomplish with her teammates.
“As great as it is to win singles, it was even more fun to win with the team because we all worked so hard all year to make that happen,” Duque said. “I am even happier about the team championship than the singles championship, but I’m really glad for both of them.”
Another special aspect of Duque’s victory was that it marked the second consecutive year that a Wichita State bowler brought home the ISC women’s title as Wagner brought home the crown in 2023.
“When I made the semfinals, I told Paige (Wagner) that I was going to win the trophy for her, so I feel very proud that I was able to do that, and I think she’s happy too,” Duque said.
Duque punched her ticket to the women’s title match by topping Vanderbilt’s Natalie Kent by a score of 219-170 during Semifinal No. 1.
In the other women’s semifinal, Bozych used a four-bagger in frames six through nine to get past top seed Crystal Elliott of Jacksonville State, 212-183.
2024 ISC men's national champion - Jaysen Spanbauer - Marian-Wisconsin
But several hours before the ladies took to the lanes, the men kicked off Saturday’s slate of collegiate bowling action at Kingpin Lanes, and they did so in fine fashion as the men’s ISC TV show was entertaining from start to finish with all three matches coming down to the 10th frame.
In the opener, Wichita State’s Braden Mallasch struck out in the ninth and 10th frames to post a score of 234, which forced Hastings College left-hander Carstin Olson to get the first strike during his final frame to win.
Olson was unable to deliver the strike he needed, however, as his ball got left of target early and then over-hooked, going through the face and leaving the 2-4. He would convert the spare, but he still came up on the short end of a 234-227 final score.
With the victory, Mallasch advanced to the title match where he would face the winner of Semifinal No. 2, which featured Spanbauer and Mallasch’s Wichita State teammate Ryan Barnes.
Spanbauer and Barnes put on quite a show, combining to strike on 19 of 23 deliveries during their semifinal match.
Nevertheless, someone had to win, and someone had to lose, and it was Spanbauer who came out on top, 259-253, after Barnes’ second ball in the 10th frame left a ringing 10-pin.
With one Shocker out of the way, Spanbauer headed to the title match looking to dispatch the other.
He appeared to be well on his way to doing just that during the early stages of the match as he opened the bout with a six-bagger to quickly establish a 41-pin lead.
But that’s when things got interesting.
Spanbauer’s seventh shot went high, leaving the 3-10 baby split, which he failed to convert, leaving the 3-pin behind.
He recovered by delivering a dramatic messenger strike in the eighth frame, sending the head pin to the side wall and then bouncing across the lane to aggressively take down the 10-pin.
That strike, combined with a ringing 10-pin in the eighth for Mallasch, made Spanbauer’s path to victory quite clear: If he could stay clean during the ninth and 10th frames, he would be the 2024 men’s ISC national champion.
But just as it did two frames earlier, Spanbauer’s ball went high again during the ninth frame, leaving a 4-10 split that put him in danger of opening for the second time in three frames and opening the door back up for Mallasch.
Content to just get good pin count, Spanbauer’s attempt at the conversion covered most of the 4-pin, making it clear that the pin would not slide over to take out the ten.
But he didn’t need it to as instead of sliding over, the 4-pin deflected off the curtain and came back toward the pin deck to trip the 10-pin from behind, resulting in an improbable split conversion that made the crowd go wild and put Spanbauer right back on the verge of victory.
He wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away. Needing a mark in the 10th to win, Spanbauer delivered a strike on his first shot to officially lock up the match and men’s singles national title.
When the final pins had fallen, Spanbauer had defeated Mallasch 236-205 and collected a victory that he could hardly put into words.
“This is incredible,” Spanbauer said. “I’ve learned so much during the last two years, and this title gives me so much confidence going forward in my bowling. I’m excited to see where this takes me.”
Spanbauer attributes Saturday’s title and the overall success he’s enjoyed during his first two collegiate seasons to a vastly improved mental game.
“I knew that today was going to come down to whoever could stay strongest mentally because we all have enough physical talent to get the job done,” Spanbauer said. “Going into college, I probably had the worst mental game. I didn’t know what to do, and I’d always get angry and blame other people. But bowling is a sport where you can only control what you can control, and you take advantage of what you’re given. I stayed patient and took advantage of what the lanes gave me all week, and that allowed me to walk away with the title.”
All qualifying and match-play rounds held prior to the televised finals were broadcast on BowlTV.com.
Teams and individuals competing at Kingpin Lanes this week earned their spots at the ITC and ISC through four sectional qualifiers held throughout the country in March.
For more information on the Intercollegiate Team Championships, visit BOWL.com/ITC. To learn more about the Intercollegiate Singles Championships, visit BOWL.com/ISC.