Bowling Green, Ky. - UPIKE men's and women's bowling received plenty of accolades this week, including MSC academic all-conference, champions of character teams and all-conference honors.
For a student-athlete to earn MSC Academic All-Conference Honors, they must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and must be in their third term or fourth quarter at their institution. The 2022-23 MSC Academic All-Conference honorees for the UPIKE men's bowling teams are Jeffrey Dovenbarger, Christopher Lesueur, Dylan Mishak, Bryce Oliver, Jacob Schrock and Wesley Yazell. Dovenbarger, Mishak and Oliver were honored for the second time in their career while Lesueur, Schrock and Yazell are first time honorees.
The 2022-23 Academic All-Conference Honorees for the UPIKE women's bowling team are Mikayla Blair, Kadie Dicken, Vanessa Fuzie, Nicole Gilbert, Hana Hackworth, Ashleigh Maldonado, Carrington Russell, Madison Stanton, Erin Thibeault and Erica Warne. Gilbert, Maldonado, Russell and Thibeault were honored for a third time while Kadie Dicken and Vanessa Fuzie earned their second honor. First time honorees included Blair, Hackworth, Stanton and Warne.
The Mid-South Conference also announced their 2022-23 Champions of Character Teams. Student-athletes nominated for the Champions of Character Team are nominated by their coaches for their leadership on campus and their community while demonstrating the five core values embraced by the NAIA. John Holyfield was selected for the men's team while Ashleigh Maldonado earned the honor for the women's team.
Both of UPIKE's bowling squads were well represented in the season awards. On the men's side, Bryce Oliver was named MSC Men's Bowler of the Year and made First Team All-Conference. Oliver averaged 233.1 pins per game during the five MSC Tournaments he bowled in, tallying 5,828 pins over 25 games.
Joining Oliver for First Team All-Conference was Chris Lesueur, Ryan Taylor, Wesley Yazell and freshman Eli Mayberry. Mayberry was named MSC Freshman Bowler of the Year, averaging 220.9 pins per game, recording 5,301 pins over 24 MSC Tournament games played.
UPIKE men's bowling Head Coach Kyle Wilson was named Coach of the Year while Assistant Coach Andrew Dekowski earned Assistant Coach of the Year awards. The two coaches aided the Bears to an MSC Regular Season Title, boasting a 54-1 record over the five conference tournaments.
On the women's side, Kristina Catoe, Stephanie Crider, Vanessa Fuzie, Emily Tull and Brianna Rogers were all selected for First Team All-Conference. Brianna Rogers also received Freshman Bowler of the Year honors, knocking down 4,058 pins and averaging 213.6 pins per game in 19 MSC Tournament games.
Second Team All-Conference nominees for Coach Bobby Brown's squad included Victoria Hines, Emily Lindsey, Lexia Stolakis and Erica Warne. Coach Wilson, along with assistant coach Andrew Dekoswki, were nominated for Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively. The duo coached the Bears to a 52-3 record over the five MSC tournaments and a MSC Regular Season Championship.
The UPIKE men's and women's bowling programs earned a lot of awards for their hard work in the classroom, the bowling alley, and for their excellent coaching. Both squads are set to begin the MSC Conference Tournament today through tomorrow.
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