Wayland, we have another state champion!
Lady Wildcat bowling ace Sydney Urben, who was Division 2 state runner-up two years ago as a sophomore, took all of the marbles Saturday at the individual state championship tournament at the Super Bowl in Canton.
Urben was seeded third in the tournament after finishing runner-up in the regional tourney the week before at Continental Lanes in Kalamazoo and after the qualifying round contests. The finals included the top 16 bowlers.
The Wildcat ace defeated 14th-seeded Danielle Hiemstra of Sparta in the opening round, 361 to 350. She rolled a 203 and 158. Her second round was a huge success with a 433 to 374 victory over 11th-seeded Makayla Souva of Carleton Airport, with scores of 210 and 223.
Urben’s third round opponent was Barbara Hawes of Flint Kearsley, the second seed in the competition. She prevailed 366 to 359, rolling a 172 and a 194.
The championship match pitted Urben against the first seed, Imari Bond, only a sophomore, from Flint Kearsley, who like Urben is a state runner-up as a 10th-grader. Urben rolled a 225 and a 184 for a 409 total to Blond’s 356.
Urben tied for second place in the qualifying round with Hawes, knocking down 1,172 pins in six games. Blond was top qualifier with 1,207 pins. The top 16 qualifiers advanced to the state match play championship round.
Lady Wildcat senior Marissa BruinsSlot also qualified for the state competition and she finished 23rd among the 60 bowlers in the competition Her six-game qualifying round total score was 1.026, with her best game coming in at 179 and her worst at 166.
Wayland boys’ coach Sherry Miklusicak, co-coach with Mike Omnss, said of Wayland’s two state qualifiers, “They were dedicated far beyond our coaching, as they practiced in the off season nearly daily and were known to practice on weekends as well. They made their own ball changes and adjustments on the lanes.
“They helped the younger girls quite often as well.”
Urben qualified for the state tournament in four of her years on varsity.
Miklusicak said the Lady Wildcats’ anchor had to beat two stars from a dynamic Flint Kearsley team that has won the state title for team the last five years straight. It was a girl from Kearsley who had beaten herin the finals as a sophomore.
“I don’t know if Sydney was nervous inside, but she sure didn’t show it,” Miklusicak remarked. “Today she was more focused than I have ever seen her. She was in a place not many athletes can experience. She appeared calm and relaxed and in command. I really don’t have the words to describe it, but I sure know I was a nervous wreck as my legs pacing and bouncing as I sat and watched and admittedly said a few prayers along the way.
“I just know how important this was to Sydney in fulfillment of her goals she has set and this was her last chance to nail it!”
Urben joins Jessica Armstrong, who was state champ in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs in 2006, and Zeke Fletcher, who was individual state co-champion in golf in 1998.