Tucker takes first to lead HU women to 2nd place finish

WARSAW, Ind. - The HU bowling program was in action over the weekend for the third Crossroads League tournament of the season hosted by Grace College. The single-day format of the CL tourneys include four team games in the morning followed by 16 Baker games in the afternoon. The men bowled at Warsaw Bowl while the women competed at The Bowling Alley.

The Huntington men finished fourth out of seven varsity teams with a total score of 6,835. Jacob Perry led the men with a sixth place finish by knocking over 837 pins through four games (209.25/game average). The left-handed rookie missed out on making the All-Tournament Team by four pins. 

"We struggled a lot in the morning during team games," said Coach Mike Shockey. " The guys just refused to quit and turned it around in the afternoon and fought their way back to fourth place. The guys are committed to some focused mental practices this week to prepare for the last regular season conference tournament of the season."

The Forester women finished the tournament in second place, just seven pins out of first, with a pin total of 6,285. Senior Haley Tucker led the ladies with a score of 765 (191.25/game average) to be deemed the individual champion and earn a spot on the All-Tourney Team. Joining her on the All-Tournament Team was Katie Fraser who took fifth with a score of 729 for a 182.25 per game average.

"It turned out to be a low scoring tournament and we struggled to find a consistent reaction," said Shockey. "At some point during the day Marian, Spring Arbor and HU all led the field. 

"Spring Arbor ended up winning the tournament by going around us in the last game of the day. We were proud of how hard the girls fought. Given the low scores, it was imperative we made spares and for the most part we did that pretty well. The women still have a chance at the conference championship this weekend."

The fourth and final conference tournament is Saturday at MVP Lanes in Fort Wayne.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 125 NAIA All-America honors and 449 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.