Girls bowling in the area has seen a lot of success, particularly Waubonsie Valley, but more recently the Metea Valley Mustangs. We review in our Fast Facts, presented by BMO Harris Bank.
Sadly, with no state series in girls bowling, we won’t truly know how this Metea Valley team stacks up against its predecessors – or any other historic team from our area, and there have been quite a few. With that in mind, let’s review our area bowling in this Fast Facts, presented by BMO Harris Bank.
The local girls bowling scene is still fairly early on in its history, but it’s packed with winners. Since Waubonsie Valley first finished 8th in state in 2006, the program has set the benchmark for teams across Illinois.
The Warriors nearly topped the charts two years after their first appearance at the big meet – winding up 3rd in 2008 behind the consistent efforts of Sarah O’Brien, who finished 12th overall.
Waubonsie returned to the top three in 2012 with another third place finish. This time, the season previews a remarkable run yet to come for the Warriors. 2012 is also the first time a Mustang makes their presence felt on the state stage – with freshman Jordan Newham qualifying for state.
Oddly enough, the following year, in 2013, Waubonsie fails to win it’s sectional – but goes on to claim it’s first ever state title with Julia Bond leading the way with a remarkable 2,634 series. Fellow junior Sara Barsotti also posts a 26-hundred series as the pair gear up for senior year.
Not at the pinnacle quite yet, the Marty Miller led squad returns the following year and absolutely dominates. Bond crushes the competition with 2,817 series – winning state, while Warriors earn another state title, clearing second place by a whopping 200 pins. Mustang Jordan Newham also records the highest place in Metea history with a 3rd place finish.
The next three years bring a pair of third place marks and a 5th place finish for the Warriors, while Alexis Sutherland becomes the second Mustang to reach the state meet.
2018 marked the first year in a decade plus that a non-Waubonsie team was the area’s top squad. Neuqua Valley advanced out of the Plainfield North regional and finished just outside the top for at sectional, missing out on state.
In 2019, it was Metea’s to take their turn at state, with Meredith Olef and Alicia Anton advancing to state with identical 1,173 scores. The performances pave the way for Metea to return to state in 2020, this time as a team, where the Mustangs finished 16th.
Steadily improving, Metea was hoping for a chance to take yet another step forward in 2021… but will have to wait another season to toe the line at the state meet once more.
For more prep sports content, visit Naperville Sports Weekly page.
