Oberlin’s Intercollegiate Bowling Team traveled to Stonehedge Lanes in Akron last weekend for the 15th Annual Kent State Invitational. Oberlin has competed in the tournament 14 times and has won two of its three intercollegiate bowling titles in the event (singles championships by Meegan Polley, OC ‘93, in the 1992 women’s division and Christopher Weaver, OC ‘96, in the 1994 men’s division).

This year’s tournament was conducted on an extremely challenging “Sport Shot” oil pattern, which resulted in low scoring across the board. Despite finishing 22nd among the 22-team field in the men’s division, Oberlin displayed occasional flashes of glory. Senior Jon Gillam led Oberlin’s Yeo-bowlers on Saturday with a 154 average for five games, including consecutive scores of 194 and 199. Junior Andrew Meister and senior Silas Cole were next with averages of 151 and 149, respectively. Senior Phil Korngut rolled Oberlin’s second highest individual score of 198.

In Saturday’s final match, Oberlin narrowly defeated the Youngstown State University squad by a score of 774 to 760. Throughout the 10 frames, the teams were never more than 16 pins apart. Oberlin trailed as the final two bowlers prepared to bowl the final frame, but Meister followed his ninth-frame strike with another strike to start the 10th and senior Lance Libby followed his own ninth-frame strike with two more to clinch the victory. Libby finished the game with 182, while Meister totaled 170.

Sunday’s competition consisted of 16 Baker games, in which each member of a five-player team rolls two frames of a single score. The Baker matches consisted of four games each against four different teams. Oberlin won a game against each of their first three opponents. In a thrilling display of teamwork, Oberlin exploded for a 201 tally in the third Baker game, easily topping the 129 score posted by Ohio Dominican. Three consecutive strikes by seniors K Strickler, Tom Hartman and Korngut, as well as consecutive strikes later in the game by Meister and Strickler, propelled Oberlin to the victory. Gillam converted a 10-pin in the 10th frame to notch Oberlin’s highest score of the weekend.

In the next Baker match, Oberlin vaulted to an opening win over 15-time NJCAA national champions (and 2003-04 runners-up) Erie Community College. Oberlin’s defeat seemed assured when Korngut followed Hartman’s solid eighth frame strike by leaving the unusual and difficult 1-2-4-6-10 “washout.” Korngut converted the spare with apparent ease, however, and Gillam spared a four-pin in the 10th frame to eke out a 178-172 victory.

The Oberlin squad notched another victory in the third game against powerhouse Morehead State University (2002-03 runners-up for the national championship). Hartman, Meister and Gillam rolled consecutive strikes in the final three frames to win by a score of 185-163.

Pikeville College won both the men’s and women’s divisions of the tournament. Their women are the defending national champions, having won the 2004 Intercollegiate Bowling Championships to claim the first team championship in any sport in the school’s 115-year history.

Oberlin’s next intercollegiate bowling competition, and its final event of the semester, will be an American Heartland conference meet in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 20.