MONROE, Mich. - On February 5, the Trine University Women's Bowling team competed in the final AHBA (American Heartland Bowling Association) event of the 2022-23 season and won their second AHBA Championship in a row. Going into the event, Trine was tied with Alma College in points, forcing a head-to-head battle between the schools to win the conference title.
The format for this year's tournament consisted of 30 baker games and one 5-on-5 individual game. After the first baker set, Alma had a 19-pin lead but Trine put up a massive second baker block with games of 197, 238, 214, 211, 210, and 214 (214 average score) to take the lead by 72 pins going into block three. Trine would maintain a lead through the remaining baker blocks, heading into the 5-on-5 game with a 64-pin lead. From there, the Thunder took a commanding lead, shooting a 962-game to win their second consecutive AHBA title by 208 pins, as well as capturing the AHBA Conference Tournament Championship.
The team had three All-Conference honorees, including sophomore Megan Timm, senior Jenna Beatty and freshman Lydia Flanagan. The 5-on-5 lineup for the Thunder included games of 200 (Blossom King/Katie Newman), 202 (Lydia Flanagan), 188 (Jaden Howard), 192 (Jenna Beatty/Mara Foutz), and 180 (Megan Timm/Macy Huber). The Thunder averaged just over 190 for the entire day. The lowest event finish in conference play was third. They are one of only three teams in AHBA history to win back-to-back conference titles.
