Women's Bowling | 2/21/2025 2:05:00 PM
McPHERSON, Kan. — The inaugural season for the Bulldogs looks to be one in which the team lays claim to a conference title in year one as they travel to Sioux City, Iowa to join the eight other teams in the KCAC Conference Tournament.
A Look at The 'Dogs
In a normal season, highs and lows are expected and at times welcomed. The Bulldogs have experienced that natural mixture at many points this season. In the fall portion of their schedule, MC was able to hold their own as they finished in the top half of the standings in three of their first five tournaments.
Come the start of the spring semester, the Bulldogs flipped a switch as the team really began to hit their stride. In the team's first tournament back, the Bulldogs claimed the program's first title as they secured a first place finish in The Eagle Invitational 1. The train has kept rolling in the spring semester as the Bulldogs claimed three more top-10 finishes, including a third place finish in The Eagle Invitational 2. In the historic Hoosier Classic, MC left their mark as they finished 23rd out of the 65 participating teams.
In terms of statistics, the Bulldogs finished ranked 30th out of 60 teams in the NAIA RPI rankings. In the USBC power rankings, MC places 44th out of the 160 teams in the rankings.
Working as a Unit
The success in year one of the program can be credited to not just one individual player this season. In fact, everyone has stepped up and played a critical role in the success of the squad.
Veronyca West, a new addition for the spring semester coming from the transfer portal, has shined bright in the second half of the season. Sitting in the top 15 in the NAIA in many statistical categories, the sophomore places 22nd in the NAIA Player Composite Performance Index.
Kayla Wood and
Alyssa Porcelli have been huge this year as well as both have been named to All-Tournament teams once this year and join fellow freshman
Kaycee Carter in the top 50 in average for rookie bowlers in the USBC Collegiate rankings.
The Bracket
The Bulldogs enter the KCAC Tournament as the third seed and will face off with six seeded Avila University on Saturday (Feb. 22). If the Bulldogs claim victory and advance to the next round, they'll face the winner of the Morningside University and Kansas Wesleyan matchup.
The Ottawa University Braves enter the tournament as the one seed and will face the winner of the opening round match between the University of Saint Mary and the College of Saint Mary. The tournament is set up as a double elimination bracket with matches being the first to three wins in a five game match to determine the winner.
Coach's Corner-Mitchell Whitehead
Expectations can be difficult to set in the first year of a program. For first year head coach Mitchell Whitehead, the expectations have been exceeded as his team heads into its first post-season tournament. "I felt coming into the season we had a ton of talent on the roster, but we were super young and inexperienced. It would be all about how quickly we could come together as a team."
As the young team began to gel as a team and the experience naturally gained by the season, the Bulldogs continued to progress and saw their overall placings in tournaments continue to get better and better. Whitehead credits this to his team and how they responded to a challenge he laid out for them come January. "When the team returned in January, I challenged them to become a closer knit team and family as well as increase the overall work ethic and they have met the challenge head on. The results started to follow."
Now as the inaugural season winds down and the goal of a conference championship is now within reach, Whitehead believes his team's work has all been leading up to this moment.
"I feel that we have been one of the more consistent teams performance wise throughout the spring semester. The ladies have worked extremely hard all year, our team chemistry is the best it has been all season, and we are doing our best bowling of the year when it matters the most." Said Whitehead. "They have been fun to coach and even more fun to watch! We are excited for the opportunity to compete for a conference championship!"
