Men’s Bowling posts runner-up finish at MSC Brandon Burns Memorial

SMYRNA, Tenn. (October 29, 2023) – The Milligan University men's bowling team notched a runner-up team finish at the Mid-South Conference Brandon Burns Memorial on Sunday.

The one-day event format included five individual games and a dozen baker games for each team.

The Buffs finished with the second-highest pin count in team games (5,249) and the third-best baker total (2,448) to finish wit 7,697 pins. SCAD Savannah topped the tournament standings with 8,096 pins. The Buffs edged Pikeville for the runner-up spot by 33 pins.

"We knew going into this weekend that we have the talent to compete, but we're young and will have some ups and downs this season," said head coach Brian Rickert. "On Saturday, it was a learning experience as we struggled with our focus and what everyone's role is as we press towards a nationally competitive squad. Today was a totally different story watching each of them sacrifice for each other, embrace those roles and take away a strong second-place finish."

Freshman Nate Trentler collected all-tournament honors with a third-place individual finish. He cleared 1,099 pins (219.8) across five games with four outings over 200 pins and a high of 256.

"Nate Trentler came out strong on Saturday but struggled a little with how the lanes broke down and lost a little steam in games four and five," said Rickert. "Going into today, we discussed how we could use the team better to get a better read on the lane and he and Alex Evans came out and threw strike after strike. You could tell the team fed off the energy and it was fun to watch."

Alex Evans earned a top-10 individual finish as he placed sixth with 1,090 pins (218.0 average). He also had four games with at least 200 pins and a high of 239.

Xander Stephens paced Milligan's junior varsity squad with 1,037 pins (207.4 average) to place 14th. He turned in a high game of 267. Jake Littlejohn made it four Buffs over a 200 average and in the top-25 as he finished 22nd at 1,013 pins (202.6 pins) with four games over 200.

Jackson McRae (30th, 199.4 average) and Will Clabo (39th, 192.4 average) both achieved top-40 finishes.

Cameron Shockey averaged 208.3 pins across four games with a high of 254. Joshua Collins rolled 202 and 204 in two individual games. Ethan Collier recorded a 234 and Tristan Crawford posted a 230 effort. Caleb McDonald went over 200 pins twice, including a 243.

In baker play Milligan averaged 204.0 pins with seven of 12 games exceeding 200 pins with a high of 237.

"This was the momentum we needed going into our first Tier 1 event next weekend in Georgia," said Rickert. "I'm excited to see how we fare against 30 of the strongest programs in the country."

The Buffs' top junior varsity squad finished fourth with 6,981 pins, less than 100 pins out of second place. The unit recorded a baker average of 183.08 with three games over 200 and a high of 225 in the final round of baker play.

"The depth of our squad shows in our JV team," said Rickert. "When you have players like Xander and Jake finishing in the top 25 it shows that we could put any combination of eight varsity players from 10-12 guys and compete with the best."

Milligan heads to its first Tier 1 tournament of the season next weekend at the Bowlero Southern Collegiate Classic in Marietta, Ga.