The KU men’s bowling team kept rolling along with its third straight top five finish.
The team competed in the 7th Annual Blue and Gold Classic in South Bend, Ind. on Jan. 24 and 25 and finished in 3rd place out of 37 teams.
The men finished 169 pins from the first-place winner, Wichita State, and 230 pins ahead of the fourth-place team.
Chris Dilley, Olathe sophomore, led the Jayhawks and all male bowlers with a 214 average. Rhino Page, Lawrence sophomore, and Marc D’Errico, Rochester, N.Y., senior, were the men’s second leading bowlers with a 197 average each.
The women’s team bounced back from its 15th place finish at Keystone Dec. 29 and 30, to finish 5th of a 22 team field. The women were able to finish in the top five despite having only five bowlers, after one member became sick the day they left.
Zelly Zapf, Rochester, N.Y., junior, led the women’s team with a 184 average, one pin ahead of fellow bowler Sarah Roenfeldt, Dodge City junior, who also had a 184 average.
The bowling team will be back in action on Feb. 7 and 8 at the Associated College Unions-International Region 11 tournament in Manhattan.
Kansas University’s men’s and women’s club bowling teams will compete in the Intercollegiate Bowling Conference sectional qualifier on Saturday and Sunday at AMF Pro Bowl in North Kansas City, Mo.
KU’s men are seeded sixth out of 13 teams and the women seventh out of 12 teams.
The top four teams qualify for nationals, which will be help April 18-21 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“I think the men have a good chance,” KU coach Mike Fine said. “And I think the women have a chance. Nos. 4-9 are very close.
“I expect it to be a real shootout.”
Competition begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday.