COLUMBUS — Two Northeast District players earned All-Ohio status and a perennial state contender earned its first title as the OHSAA Division II State Girls Bowling Championships concluded Saturday at HP Lanes.
Rootstown senior Kaitlyn Hammerschmidt, making her third straight state appearance with the Rovers as a team, finished 12th overall to earn honorable mention all-state honors with a 576 series Last season, Hammerschmidt finished 31st in the standings.
Savannah Starcher made her first state appearance memorable as the Triway freshman finished ninth overall (breaking a tie with her high game of 215) to claim second-team All-Ohio with a 577 series. She was bowling as an individual qualifier.
A pair of Coldwater bowlers — senior Brittany Burden and junior Rachel Moeller — finished 1-2 in the individual standings with 640 and 621, respectively.
Defending state champion Arianna Kiessling, a Napoleon senior, finished seventh overall with 580 to earn second-team honors.
Carrollton senior Kaylee Russell, the 2024 state individual champion, struggled in her final appearance with a 392 to finish 79th.
NAPOLEON CLAIMS TITLE
Napoleon, making its 13th overall state appearance, earned its first Division II title by sweeping past Coldwater 3-0 in the best-of-five Baker System match play finals.
Teams and 16 individual qualifiers bowled three regular games, with the 16 teams then bowling five additional Baker System games. The top eight then advanced to the match-play finals.
The Wildcats, which finished as the No. 2 seed behind Coldwater by just 15 pins, shot 192, 192 and 189 en route to the title.
The Cavaliers, who were making their 12th state appearance and first since 2022, did not shoot a game over 165. They led qualifying with 3,612 total pins after trailing Napoleon by 21 pins entering Bakers.
East District champion Warsaw River View earned the eighth qualifying spot with 3,223, finishing 21 pins ahead of Galion Northmor, despite a 133 in its final Baker game. River View fell 4-1 to Coldwater in its opening match.
Sophomore Morgan Rowe led River View with 537 and junior Karley Stocker added 503.
No Northeast District team was able to make the cut, with Rootstown, which made the top eight a year ago finishing 11th (3,081) and East Canton, making the first team appearance in school history, taking 12th (2,980). Carrollton, making its 10th state appearance, finished 13th (2,967).
NOTEBOOK: The event was bowled on the OHSAA state tournament oil pattern. … Versailles turned in the top Baker series with 925, seven pins ahead of Coldwater. … Defending state champion Urbana didn’t make the cut, finishing 10th, 58 pins out. … Fairport Harbor Harding, state runner-up a year ago, finished 15th with 2,913. … Seniors Logan McDonald and Madison Lint led East Canton with 480 and 479, respectively. … Freshman Carrie Hawk was high for Carrollton with 501 and senior Zara Bullock added 483. … Junior Nina Gill backed up Hammerschmidt for Rootstown with 504. … There were four 600 series and 32 players shot 500 or better in the field. … Division I takes over HP Lanes next weekend with the boys (March 6) and girls (March 7) state championships. All tickets must be purchased online with no cash accepted at the door. Go to https://www.ohsaa.org/sports/bowling for tournament details.