UW-Whitewater Women’s Bowling is underway as the Warhawks wrapped up a successful first month of the season, with impressive wins across the board. The start is highlighted by a first-place finish in the 52nd Annual Midwest Collegiate Championship, taking down No. 1 seed Webber International University, and a second-place finish that included a win over Vanderbilt, the reigning national champions, at the Warhawk Classic in Madison, Wisconsin. Amongst the 55 participating bowlers in Wisconsin’s state capital that weekend, junior Mackenzie Juedes finished second overall, knocking down 1,454 total pins in the process.
Q: Now in your junior year, what have been some highlights for you over the years as being a Warhawk?
A: Just this past couple of weeks ago at the Warhawk Classic, I got my first ATT winning second place and we won the Midwest Championships, which was very impressive beating out some really good teams in there.
Q: You guys recently took down this past year’s national champion in Vanderbilt. What was the feeling like after the fact as a team when you beat them?
A: It was a really great feeling. Most of us think of a DIII school like “Oh, they’re just a DIII school. They don’t get much,” but altogether, taking down the team was actually a pretty good feeling on it, especially with some of the best bowlers in the country, like Paige [Peters] and everybody else. It was just a great feeling. I think that’s how our team connection got out just from that match.
Q: Now a month into the season, what has gone well for you all so far?
A: We’ve had great communication. We’ve all gotten along as a team, we’ve been practicing, we’ve been working hard. We’re just all together coming as one, just all pretty great for that.”
Q: How are you all improving as a team compared to last season?
A: Personally, from my side, I’ve been just targeting my shots, I’ve been just keeping my mindset in the game. With the team, we’ve just been having a better connection, like doing more things outside of the bowling alley and inside.
Q: What are the challenges that come with being a student athlete?
A: A lot of time management; going through, going to class, going to practice, trying to just have some mental health days in there, trying to keep it up for that altogether.
Q: How are you working to overcome those challenges?
A: I’m just keeping it one step at a time, just trying not to overwhelm myself, getting all of my assignments done on time, just keeping it on the low side and trying not to stress as much.
Q: What about Whitewater’s bowling program stood out to you compared to other schools?
A: I didn’t know as much; I just came in for it because they had a good journalism program, and I knew they had a good team. I also just wanted to keep it on the low side of it because I didn’t really want to be on a big team. I just want people to recognize and just be with the team for it.
For the final tournament of the calendar year, Whitewater will be traveling to Woodbridge, Virginia for the Hawk Classic starting Friday, Nov. 17 and going through Sunday, Nov. 18 where they will look to build off their early success in the season. The first tournament of 2024 will take the Warhawks to the Gateway of the West in St. Louis at the Saints Invite, starting Friday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 4.
