Oklahoma Christian University men’s bowling qualified for the Intercollegiate Team Championships for the first time in program history. The ITC Championships will take place in Addison, Illinois on April 21-24.
During the ITC Sectional Qualifiers in Dallas, TexasX on March 11-13, the Eagles placed third with a team score of 12,661. The Eagles were in first place throughout the first day of competition, but fell in the standings on day two. Despite this, they qualified for nationals with the other top four teams.
Freshman Israel Reveles said making nationals means a lot to the team and made the entire year worthwhile.
“We all knew we had great potential and talent throughout the entire season,” Reveles said. “To see it all come together is something special and we are excited to continue our season.”
NEW TRANSITION
“We are focused and will continue to get better before we go to Illinois to compete for a national championship,” Reveles said. “We are proud of this season so far, but there are still things to get better at and we plan to do so over the next few weeks.”
In the 2021 season, the Eagles finished sixth, two spots away from qualifying for nationals. Freshman C.J. Petrin, who took first place in the singles competition, gave the Eagles the boost necessary for nationals status.
“These guys have been close the past couple years, so to see the guys who experienced last season finally accomplish this means a ton,” Petrin said.
Placing first in the singles competition, Petrin earned the right to compete for the singles title at nationals. Petrin is the second Oklahoma Christian bowler to qualify; Josh Imhoff competed individually in 2021.
“It was obviously a goal of mine throughout the season, so I’m proud to see it through,” Petrin said. “To qualify for singles and as a team is something special. I’m ecstatic.”
The singles competition takes place on April 19. Petrin will be the first Oklahoma Christian bowler to compete in both singles and team portions.
Oklahoma Christian was ranked in the top 25 in the entire country for the majority of the year. They sat in 15th entering the ITC Sectional Qualifiers.
Junior Leo Johnson said confidence was a huge reason for the team’s success.
“The feel of this team as we entered tournaments all season long was just different from years past,” Johnson said. “The confidence we carried with us was something we lacked when I first got here, and I think that was something we were missing.”
The 2021-2022 season was the fourth season of competition for the Eagles, and making nationals has been a primary goal since the inaugural year in 2018.
“We had a feeling all season long that this was the year,” Johnson said. “We have been close in the past, but this is the most talent that we have had since I have been here, and to finally get that qualifying spot and earn the opportunity to compete at nationals is really cool. I couldn’t be more excited for the team.”
The Eagles will continue to prepare daily until they leave for the national competition.
“We are all rejuvenated to practice and get ready for nationals,” Johnson said. “Our confidence is as high as ever but we still know we have to get better in certain areas for us to have a chance to bring home a championship.” Live streaming for the event can be found at BowlTV.com and on the Oklahoma Christian Bowling Facebook. Singles begin on April 19 and the team portion begins on April 21.
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