May 7, 2014

By Ashley McCallum

The UW-Whitewater men’s bowling team spent the last 36 weeks preparing and competing to become one of the best men’s bowling programs in the nation. By the end, the men turned those 36 weeks into the best season in school history.

“This year was by far the best year I have had here,” team President Tyler Sadowski said. “When I first came up here it wasn’t as enjoyable. We weren’t as successful, we weren’t having as much fun, but this year definitely changed everything about that.”

After winning all four Wisconsin Collegiate Bowling Conference tournaments, the team placed second at its sectional qualifier, advancing it to the Intercollegiate Team Championship tournament in Reno, Nev. This season’s appearance was the second in school history at the national tournament.

The National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association, the International Bowling Media Association and collegebowling.com all ranked the ’Hawks in the top 10 of their national polls by the end of the season. The team finished in the top 10 in 11 out of 12 tournaments throughout the season and finished fifth in the Boom Apparel Intercollegiate Club Championships.

“We’re not just a normal club,” Sadowski said. “We don’t travel only once or twice a year, we are traveling every single weekend.”

Men’s bowling is not affiliated with the NCAA. Every program across the nation is considered a club sport. As a club at UW-W, men bowlers do not receive any scholarship money to compete, and they are the highest-ranked bowlers in the nation that do not receive scholarships to bowl.

“They decline scholarship offers to come to Whitewater to bowl,” head coach Shawn Wochner said. “They are a great bunch of guys who love bowling and love Whitewater.”

This year was Wochner’s fourth season coaching the ’Hawks. After four years building the program, he was named the NCBA Coach of the Year for men. Team captain Nick Kruml was named both NCBCA Second Team All American and IBMA Bowler of the Year Honorable Mention.

“We will be stronger next year,” Wochner said. “Our top 12-13 bowlers are coming back and we only lost one senior.”

On top of a strong veteran team, the ’Hawks have 15 new bowlers committed to UW-W next season, including a few players with previous college bowling experience. The coaching staff and players believe this season’s success will only be bettered by next year’s rookies.