USBC Communications
With the start of fall comes the beginning of the United States Bowling Congress Collegiate season, as the Dirty Bird Classic and the DO Apparel-Brunswick Collegiate Open kicked off the 2024-2025 campaign.
At the DO Apparel-Brunswick Collegiate Open in Columbus at the Columbus Square Bowling Palace, the Belmont Abbey men and Muskingum women claimed opening-weekend victories after bowling nine individual games. Belmont Abbey was dominant from start to finish, winning by nearly 600 pins, while Muskingum took the win by only eight pins ahead of Rio Grande.
The Belmont Abbey men had three players in the top five, as Mark Kaczynski led the way at 2,026 total pinfall, Jordan Woods was second with 2,011 and Sean Neidhold finished fourth with 1,989. Akron’s Brendan Tahsler was third with 2,002 and St. Vincent’s Brandon Dunmire placed fifth with 1,979. Tahsler also had the competition’s only perfect game during Game 2.
Akron finished fourth overall and Walsh was seventh in the 10-team field.
On the women’s side, Rio Grande’s Caity Moody led the way with a nine-game total of 1,841 while teammate Lina Fernandez placed fifth with 1,631. Muskingum teammates Kelsey Wilson (1,815), Tayler Clark (1,741) and Elizabeth Springsteen (1,713) all placed second through fourth, respectively.
Fifteen men’s varsity teams and 14 women’s varsity teams also competed at the Dirty Bird Classic in Jackson, Mich., eager to start their season off right. After three individual games and 10 Baker games, the Concordia men and Spring Arbor women claimed their first wins of the season.
Concordia held off Vincennes for the win in the men’s division by a 140-pin margin. Spring Arbor used a strong three-game set in individuals to hold on to the lead in the women’s field as Concordia stormed up the standings during the Baker set but missed the lead by 69 pins.
Connor Rogus of Concordia led all men with a three-game total of 668, with Spring Arbor’s Carson Kohler (649), Vincennes’ Dakota Waskom (646), Bowling Green’s Douglas Husted (645) and Siena Heights’ Paul Scheuher (627) rounding out the top five.
On the women’s side, Goshen’s Rebekah Muzyk led with a three-game total of 599. Indiana Wesleyan’s Amanda Kouros (568), Spring Arbor teammates Kayla Tafanelli (567) and Kassidy Alexander (559), and Trine’s Megan Timm (557) took home all-tournament honors.
The season continues next weekend with the Hammer Golden Eagle Invite in Rockford, Ill., and the WHAC – Jackson Open in Jackson, Mich.
