ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The men's bowling team competed in their first meet in school history this past weekend, traveling to Lindenwood to bowl in the 17th annual Lions Classic. Despite a rough start, the Panthers battled in day two to tie for fifth.
How it Happened:
Greenville had a slow start, putting themselves in 8th out of eight teams on day one.
Freshman
Benaiah McElroy led the way for the Panthers posting a 542 series, averaging 180 and putting himself in 40th out of 109 competitors.
McElroy was followed by
Niklaus Kreider who posted a 497 series.
Joey Kiel fired off a 458 series.
LaDamien Davis gave the Panthers a 439 series, while
Gavin Barkman rounded out the group with a 345 series for three games.
Going into day two, the Panthers were the eighth-seed and got matched up with powerhouse, McKendree.
Greenville made McKendree earn their victory, narrowly dropping game one by a score of 139-153.
In game two, the Panthers went toe-to-toe with the Bearcats, just losing the game 215-218.
Following that match, GU moved down to the losers bracket to face the #5 seed, Central Methodist. Coming off match one with high energy, the Panthers sent CMU home in just two games, winning both games by scores of 179-170 and 194-182.
The Panthers continued through the bracket, matching up with Quincy next. GU forced a three-game set against the Hawks. In game one Quincy beat Greenville 211-172, but the Greenville battled in game two, beating the Hawks 202-183. This forced a game three, but the Panthers came up short, dropping the match 144-182.
Greenville finished the tournament tied for fifth.
"The gentlemen showed me how much fight they truly have inside of them. The guys showed me they can compete with the best of the best despite the loss against McKendree. Beating CMU and going head-to-head with Quincy once again showed that they can compete at a high level.
Niklaus Kreider was clutch all day for us, forcing the anchor from the other teams to throw good shots in the 10th. All the gentlemen proved that they were fighters and clutch in big moments in every game." - Coach Kunz
Up Next:
The Panthers travel to Lafayette, Indiana on November 15th and 16th to compete in the Boilmaker Classic and Baker Shootout.
