Springfield girls cap turnaround with GWOC title
From the bottom of the standings to conference champions, the turnaround has been tremendous for the Springfield girls bowling team.
“In the past, we’ve been one of those teams that other teams looked at as a check in their win column,” Wildcats coach Mike Beck said. “Not this year.”
The Wildcats, 15-2 overall, recently clinched their first Greater Western Ohio Conference title with an 11-1 league record. That’s two more conference wins than they compiled in the highly competitive GWOC over the past three seasons combined.
“The GWOC is always one of the toughest conferences in the state,” Beck said. “Seeing and bowling against those teams, you see what you need to do to get to the next level. Winning this is a huge deal for us, I told the girls they should hold their heads high and be proud.”
The progression has been steady for the veteran Wildcats, who have six seniors. As freshmen, they were 1-11 in the conference, 1-13 overall. Sophomore year they were 2-10 in the GWOC and 6-12. Last season, they posted a 6-6 record in the conference and finished 10-8 overall, advancing to the Southwest District tournament for the first time.
The Wildcats are motivated by their success but not satisfied. They are hoping for a solid performance in the GWOC tournament before heading into sectional play Thursday.
Poelking Lanes South is hosting the Division I sectional tournament with the top 10 teams and individual bowlers advancing to the district tournament at Beaver-Vu on Feb. 26-27. If Beck and the Wildcats have their way, the Springfield girls will continue to make history.
“We’ve never had a girls team make it to state,” Beck said. “Yet.”
■ Bowler of the week: University of Pikeville senior Jessica Wolfe recently earned the Mid-South Conference women’s bowler of the week honor. The Fairmont graduate captured the individual title at the MSC Cincinnati Collegiate Classic, tallying 1,320 pins over six games. Wolfe averaged 220 pins per game and posted three games above 230.