MONROE - When Monroe senior Collyn Wilde steps on the lanes at Friday at Dale's Weston Lanes in Weston, he and his teammates will be looking to repeat as Division 2 Wisconsin High School Bowling Club state champions.
Monroe has built a strong tradition in bowling and the Cheesemakers are making their sixth straight trip to state as a team. Last year, the Cheesemakers won the program's first ever state title. Monroe's trio of individual state qualifiers who will bowl in the first-round of the singles state tournament at 4:30 p.m. Friday includes Wilde, senior Samantha Lynch and junior Kaleb Legler. The first-round of the team bowling state tournament is slated for 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
"I just want to have fun, throw good shots and try to bring home a state championship repeat title and try to bring home a singles title," Wilde said. "I think we have a legitimate shot to win state as long as we cover our spares and stay fired up."
The six Monroe bowlers who will be competing at the state tournament this weekend are Wilde, Lynch, senior Kirstin Rood, junior Keon Butler and Legler.
Monroe coach Brittany Svendsen is confident the Cheesemakers can make a run at repeating as state champions.
"We have all the faith in the world being able to go back and defend their state title," Svendsen said.
Monroe will lean on the talents and experience of a trio of individual state qualifiers. With three individual state qualifiers in the singles competition, the Cheesemakers more than one shot to bring home some hardware. The top 25 percent from the first-round of the singles bowling state tournament will move on to the semifinals Saturday.
"It just shows our potential," Svendsen said of having three bowlers in the singles state tournament. "Hopefully, having them will help us bring back another state title."
Wilde, who has received nine Division I college bowling offers and six Division II offers, leads the team with a bowling average of 199 and a fill percentage of 84.05 percent. It's Wilde's fourth trip to state and second in the singles state tournament.
Wilde said the one college offer to bowl he really considered was an offer from West Texas A&M, a Division II school. The head coach at West Texas A&M is Mark Scroggins, the brother of Professional Bowlers Association athlete Mike Scroggins. West Texas A&M has won nine bowling national championships.
"They are very knowledgeable and have a strong program," Wilde said.
However, Wilde wants to become a welder and chose to attend Blackhawk Technical College in Milton because he could finish his degree sooner.
"I would love to bowl in college and be a part of a national championship," he said. "That has always been my dream. I can do the whole welding program at Blackhawk Tech in one year instead of four years at a major college. I can have just as much fun bowling in tournaments, with friends and family here."
Wilde was the top boys bowler in District 3B and Lynch was the top girl in the district. Lynch averages a 185 per game and has a fill percentage of 81.48 percent. Monroe went 6-4 in bowling matches in District 3B this year, but each one of their losses came to Division 1 teams. The Cheesemakers finished as the top Division 2 team in their district.
"All of our losses were by one or two spares," Wilde said.
Wilde isn't the only Monroe bowler drawing interest from colleges. Lynch, who will be making her fourth appearance at state, will bowl for Virtebo University in La Crosse next year. Lynch started bowling at age 8 when her dad took her bowling and she's been hooked ever since.
"It's a really good feeling especially since we won last year," Lynch said. "I'm just excited to hopefully do it again."
While Lynch is a veteran in the state bowling scene, this will be her first time competing in the singles state tournament.
"I'm definitely excited to show what I can do," she said. "I'm not nervous when I bowl. My competitiveness takes over. I have the mindset that I want to win and do my best."
One of the bowlers that has made the biggest swings in improving his best performance is Legler. One of the biggest increases for Legler this year was his fill percentage jumping from 58 percent last year to 82.83 percent this season.
"This year I have improved a lot," Legler said. "This year I have picked up my spares more."
Legler attributes his success in picking up spares to the Sports Shots Thursday night bowling league at Leisure Lanes.
"I think that really helped me," he said. "It helped me to control my ball on tough shots."
Legler has been preparing for this moment for more than one year. He went to watch the state tournament last year but didn't compete.
"That is why I went up there on the lanes to watch last year to get the atmosphere to see how loud and excited people get," Legler said. "As a team this year, we have had our ups and downs. I feel like we can repeat as state champions."
Monroe has built a strong tradition in bowling and the Cheesemakers are making their sixth straight trip to state as a team. Last year, the Cheesemakers won the program's first ever state title. Monroe's trio of individual state qualifiers who will bowl in the first-round of the singles state tournament at 4:30 p.m. Friday includes Wilde, senior Samantha Lynch and junior Kaleb Legler. The first-round of the team bowling state tournament is slated for 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
"I just want to have fun, throw good shots and try to bring home a state championship repeat title and try to bring home a singles title," Wilde said. "I think we have a legitimate shot to win state as long as we cover our spares and stay fired up."
The six Monroe bowlers who will be competing at the state tournament this weekend are Wilde, Lynch, senior Kirstin Rood, junior Keon Butler and Legler.
Monroe coach Brittany Svendsen is confident the Cheesemakers can make a run at repeating as state champions.
"We have all the faith in the world being able to go back and defend their state title," Svendsen said.
Monroe will lean on the talents and experience of a trio of individual state qualifiers. With three individual state qualifiers in the singles competition, the Cheesemakers more than one shot to bring home some hardware. The top 25 percent from the first-round of the singles bowling state tournament will move on to the semifinals Saturday.
"It just shows our potential," Svendsen said of having three bowlers in the singles state tournament. "Hopefully, having them will help us bring back another state title."
Wilde, who has received nine Division I college bowling offers and six Division II offers, leads the team with a bowling average of 199 and a fill percentage of 84.05 percent. It's Wilde's fourth trip to state and second in the singles state tournament.
Wilde said the one college offer to bowl he really considered was an offer from West Texas A&M, a Division II school. The head coach at West Texas A&M is Mark Scroggins, the brother of Professional Bowlers Association athlete Mike Scroggins. West Texas A&M has won nine bowling national championships.
"They are very knowledgeable and have a strong program," Wilde said.
However, Wilde wants to become a welder and chose to attend Blackhawk Technical College in Milton because he could finish his degree sooner.
"I would love to bowl in college and be a part of a national championship," he said. "That has always been my dream. I can do the whole welding program at Blackhawk Tech in one year instead of four years at a major college. I can have just as much fun bowling in tournaments, with friends and family here."
Wilde was the top boys bowler in District 3B and Lynch was the top girl in the district. Lynch averages a 185 per game and has a fill percentage of 81.48 percent. Monroe went 6-4 in bowling matches in District 3B this year, but each one of their losses came to Division 1 teams. The Cheesemakers finished as the top Division 2 team in their district.
"All of our losses were by one or two spares," Wilde said.
Wilde isn't the only Monroe bowler drawing interest from colleges. Lynch, who will be making her fourth appearance at state, will bowl for Virtebo University in La Crosse next year. Lynch started bowling at age 8 when her dad took her bowling and she's been hooked ever since.
"It's a really good feeling especially since we won last year," Lynch said. "I'm just excited to hopefully do it again."
While Lynch is a veteran in the state bowling scene, this will be her first time competing in the singles state tournament.
"I'm definitely excited to show what I can do," she said. "I'm not nervous when I bowl. My competitiveness takes over. I have the mindset that I want to win and do my best."
One of the bowlers that has made the biggest swings in improving his best performance is Legler. One of the biggest increases for Legler this year was his fill percentage jumping from 58 percent last year to 82.83 percent this season.
"This year I have improved a lot," Legler said. "This year I have picked up my spares more."
Legler attributes his success in picking up spares to the Sports Shots Thursday night bowling league at Leisure Lanes.
"I think that really helped me," he said. "It helped me to control my ball on tough shots."
Legler has been preparing for this moment for more than one year. He went to watch the state tournament last year but didn't compete.
"That is why I went up there on the lanes to watch last year to get the atmosphere to see how loud and excited people get," Legler said. "As a team this year, we have had our ups and downs. I feel like we can repeat as state champions."
