Championship Saturday: Wichita State bowling sweeps national titles, softball wins AAC
It was a championship kind of Saturday night for the Wichita State athletic department.
The night began with the WSU softball team winning its first American Athletic Conference championship in program history without even playing a game this weekend. The Shockers were able to celebrate from home, as their title was secured in Orlando courtesy of two wins by Central Florida over South Florida.
Meanwhile, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the WSU bowling team was authoring the first national championship sweep by a program since 2012 and the third in program history (1994, 2009).
It was the 10th win at the Intercollegiate Team Championships for the WSU women’s bowling team and the 12th overall for the men’s team. Both marks are the most of any collegiate program in the country.
WSU softball wins first AAC title
The Shockers won their third conference championship in program history after previously winning the Missouri Valley title in 2014 and 2016.
The program’s first AAC title marks the latest accomplishment in what is shaping up to be the best season in program history. WSU enters postseason play with a 37-11-1 record, which would be its highest winning percentage in program history, on the fringe of many top-25 polls and a likely No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Regionals. WSU also had a record-setting offense, which has crushed the program record for home runs and is on pace to set several other records this season.
The Shockers won the AAC title with an 18-5-1 record, which were the most conference wins by a champion in the American’s brief history. WSU will be the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament held in Tulsa from Thursday-Saturday.
WSU bowling doubles up titles
Both championship matches for WSU were decided in thrilling fashion on Saturday.
In the women’s final, WSU leaned on junior Madison Janack, who was recently named the NCBCA Most Valuable Player. Needing two strikes and at least one pin in the 10th and final frame, Janack delivered in the clutch with three straight strikes in the fifth and decisive game of the best-of-five Baker format to lead WSU to the victory over North Carolina A&T.
The championship team for the WSU women’s bowling team consisted of Janack, who was also named the ITC Most Valuable Player, Wichita native Addie Herzberg, Sierra Ciesiolka, Madisyn Hansen, Sydney Hollinger, Sarah Klassen and Olivia Komorowski.
The men’s final also came down to the fifth and final game, as the Shockers were able to prevail in a low-scoring championship bout with St. Ambrose. WSU started Game 5 with three straight strikes to open up a lead and never looked back in a 188-146 win.
The championship team for the WSU men’s bowling team featured Brandon Biondo, Briley Haugh, Cameron Hurwitz, Alec Keplinger, Richard Paul III, T.J. Rock and Nick Sommer. Biondo and Keplinger were both named to the all-tournament team, while Keplinger also finished runner-up in the national singles tournament.
The women’s ITC finals will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 5:30 p.m. on May 25, while the men’s ITC finals will follow on the same network at 7 p.m. on June 1.
WSU baseball takes command of road series
The WSU baseball team also joined in on the winning action on Saturday, as the Shockers won 10-3 over Central Florida to earn at least a series split in Orlando. WSU will go for the series win in an 11 a.m. Sunday game.
It’s an important series for WSU (24-18, 12-10 American) as it tries to pass UCF (23-24, 13-10 American) for third place in the conference standings.
WSU’s bats helped on Saturday, as Paxton Wallace homered twice, including a grand slam, for the third time this season. Hunter Gibson added a pair of hits, while Andrew Stewart drove in two runs.
Starter Liam Eddy (4-7) earned the win after allowing three earned runs in five innings, while L.J. McDonough delivered three scoreless innings of relief and Tommy Barnhouse closed the game with a scoreless ninth inning.
WSU men’s tennis narrowly drops NCAA opener
Only a handful of points separated the WSU men’s tennis team from an NCAA Tournament upset.
The No. 32-ranked Shockers saw their season come to a close to devastating fashion in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Fort Worth, as they lost a 4-3 match to No. 20-ranked Arizona State.
WSU pushed the Pac-12 runner-ups to the brink, losing the doubles point and the decisive singles match in a tiebreaker.
WSU’s top doubles team of Marius Frosa and Murkel Dellien, ranked 40th in the country, made short work of Arizona State’s top team in a 6-2 win. The doubles point came down to No. 3 doubles, as WSU’s team of Stefan Latinovic and Nicolas Acevedo lost a heartbreaker, 7-6 (7-5).
Dellien, ranked No. 39 in singles, continued his 12-match winning streak with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Arizona State’s No. 84-ranked top singles player. The Shockers also had wins from Frosa (No. 2) and Luka Mrsic (No. 6). Again, WSU was on the wrong end of a heart-breaking defeat as Acevedo lost two tiebreakers, 2-6, 7-6 (7-0), 7-6 (7-5), in the decisive No. 4 slot.
This story was originally published May 9, 2021 at 8:26 AM.
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