Competing against some of the Midwest's top collegiate bowling programs, the Barton Community College men's and women's bowling teams made their lone in-state tournament appearance of the 2026-27 season over the weekend at the Tier I Mid-States Championships in Wichita.
The two-day event featured six traditional team games Saturday followed by 16 Baker games Sunday, with the top eight teams advancing to a single-elimination, best-of-three bracket to determine the tournament champions.
The Cougar women placed 18th in the 28-team field with 7,326 total pins, finishing just 48 pins behind Iowa Central Community College for the second-highest finish among NJCAA programs. On the men's side, Barton compiled 7,643 pins to place 26th in the 31-team field.
Both squads return to competition Saturday and Sunday at the Jayhawk Challenge, with the women competing at Royal Crest Lanes in Lawrence and the men at Gage Bowl in Topeka.
Women's Recap
Utilizing all eight bowlers throughout the weekend, the Cougar women compiled 4,764 pins through Saturday's six traditional team games before adding 2,562 across Sunday's 16 Baker games to finish with a combined 7,326 pins.
Great Bend native Zoey Mayberry led Barton individually, placing 41st overall with a six-game total of 1,039 pins and a 173.2 average. Mayberry opened with rounds of 188 and 193 before closing with a team-best 198 in the sixth game.
Anne Timmermeyer led the twin duo with an 843 total across five games, placing 108th with a 168.6 average, while her twin sister Rose Timmermeyer finished four spots back in 112th with an 829 series and 165.8 average.
Tailynn Level rounded out Barton's top four individual finishers, placing 122nd with a five-game total of 757 pins and a 151.4 average.
Wichita State topped the women's team standings with 9,054 pins, finishing ahead of runner-up Newman University's 8,263. McKendree University went on to capture Sunday afternoon's single-elimination bracket championship with a victory over Newman.
Men's Recap
On the men's side, Barton rotated all eight bowlers into Saturday's traditional team competition, totaling 4,992 pins through six games before adding 2,651 across Sunday's 16 Baker games to conclude the weekend with 7,643 pins.
Jesus Lucero led the Cougar lineup individually, placing 65th overall with a six-game total of 1,108 pins and a 184.7 average. Lucero delivered a team-best 220 in the second game before adding a 207 in the fifth, accounting for two of Barton's four 200-plus rounds.
Paxton McCloud followed in 86th with a six-game total of 1,032 pins and 172.0 average, while Tucker Huband placed 145th with an 848 series across five games and a 169.6 average. Huband rolled a 204 in the second game, while Alec Ogorzolka contributed Barton's remaining 200-plus round with a 200 in his opening game.
Host school Wichita State topped the men's team-standings with 9,423 pins, finishing ahead of runner-up Southern Nazarene University's 9,289. The Shockers went on to capture Sunday afternoon's single-elimination bracket championship with a victory over in state Ottawa University.