Zachary Ruth

Graduate student Chloe Ciecko dances with her team to celebrate a spare. Ciecko is currently working on a graduate degree in sociology.

In its first-ever Conference USA Bowling Championship over the weekend, Wichita State women’s bowling battled out of the contender’s bracket all the way to win the championship in a cardiac seven-game series victory. 

Wichita State lost its first match of the tournament, then won seven straight against top opponents to claim supremacy over the conference.

The fourth-seeded Shockers beat the top-seeded and reigning NCAA national champion Jacksonville State University in back-to-back seven-game matches in the tournament’s final two rounds to win the conference championship. 

Wichita State is in its first year of NCAA competition. Graduate student Mary Orf and sophomore Sara Duque Jiménez both made the all-tournament team.

After the CUSA Championship win, the Shockers are 84-36 on the season heading into NCAA Regionals. The Shockers rank fifth nationally but beat three higher-ranked Conference USA opponents to win the championship.

Thursday

Wichita State started the conference championship on the losing end. The Shockers lost to the fifth-seeded Arkansas State University, 2-1, in the second round of the tournament. 

Wichita State won the traditional match, 996-961. Sophomore Ashtyn Woods knocked down the most pins with 237.

The team then lost in the baker match, 1060-1009. Duque Jiménez led the team with 254 pinfalls. In the best-of-seven tiebreaker, the Shockers battled back to push a game seven, but eventually fell, 4-3.

Friday-Saturday

After being sent to the single-elimination contender’s bracket, the Shockers avoided a quick exit by beating 10th-seeded Valparaiso University, 2-0, in the third round of the tournament.

Then, the Shockers rallied for consecutive wins against Tulane University, Vanderbilt University, a rematch against Arkansas State and Sam Houston State University over Friday and Saturday to advance to the final round of the tournament.

Wichita State’s wins against Tulane, Vanderbilt and Sam Houston came through seven-game series tiebreakers, with the Sam Houston win going all the way to a seventh game.

Sunday 

Top-seeded Jacksonville State had romped to the championship final, not losing a single game in three matches. To win the trophy, Wichita State needed to beat the Gamecocks twice in a row. 

In the traditional match, the Shockers started hot with a 1018-1004 win. Orf led the team in pinfall with 224. Jacksonville State won the baker match, 1105-1034, to force a best-of-seven.

In the best-of-seven, Wichita State won, 4-3, to force a winner-take-all best-of-seven match later that day on Sunday. Sophomore Aleesha Oden scored a strike in the final bowl of the game to force a final match.

In the winner-take-all best-of-seven, the Shockers battled Jacksonville State in a thrilling game for the championship. 

The Shockers took game one, 203-194, but Jacksonville State won games two and three. In game four, Wichita State won a close two-pin battle, 206-204. Jacksonville State won game five, 223-206, and the Shockers’ 212-200 win in game six forced a winner-take-all game seven for the conference.

In game seven, the Shockers won the CUSA Championship with a slim 218-215 victory. 

After the game, head coach Holly Harris was interviewed on the ESPN+ broadcast.

“I had tears when it was over, just because they just kept going and did the hard stuff,” Harris said.

With the win, Wichita State will advance to the NCAA Bowling Tournament with the regionals set to start on Thursday, April 3.

The Shockers will wait until Wednesday to find out who they will be facing.