The Barton Community College men's and women's bowling teams got an early-season test this past weekend, competing among a national field of top programs at the Tier I Mid-States Championships held in Wichita, Kansas.
The high-caliber two-day event featured six traditional team games Saturday and 16 Baker games Sunday, drawing programs from the NCAA Division I, Division II, and NAIA ranks.
Barton's women paced the weekend efforts, finishing 16th out of 24 varsity programs with 7,263 pins, while the men added a 17th-place result among 29 teams totaling 8,172 pins.
Women's Recap: Rylee Lambeth led the way for Barton's seven-member lineup with a 1,011 series, averaging 168.5 per game to place 56th overall, followed closely by Ellie Weeks in 58th with a 1,002 pin count and 167 average.
Anne Timmermeyer added an 840 total across five games tossed, while Tailynn Level contributed a five-game 786 series highlighted by a team-game best 192 in her third round to finish 106th overall.
Sam Houston State University swept the women's competition, capturing the team title with 9,038 pins, while Oklahoma Christian (8,721) and Ottawa University (8,683) rounded out the top three. Emily Hart of Sam Houston State earned the individual title, besting the 180-bowler field with a 1,302 six-game total.
Men's Recap: Dayden Cunningham guided the Cougar men with a top-30 finish, rolling a six-game 1.187 series and 197.8 average to place 29th overall. The freshman surpassed the 200 mark in half of his games, highlighted by a pair of 211s and a 212.
Colton Swift and Campbell Peterson battled for team-best single-game honors, with Swift holding the edge behind a fourth-game 257, narrowly ahead of Peterson's third-game 256. The duo finished 43rd and 66th respectively, with series totals of 1,141 and 1,093.
Fielding an additional squad in the junior varsity division, Barton placed 11th among 18 teams, led by Jett Cosby's 91st place finish and 1,032 six-game total.
In a tight contest between cross-town rivals, Wichita State University claimed the team title with 9,872 pins, edging Newman University's 9,279 and Baker University's 9,205. Josh Hammons of Wichita State topped the 316-bowler field with a 1,353 series, narrowly outdistancing Southern Nazarene's Riley Speer's 1,350 for individual honors.
Barton will remain in-state with another two-day event this coming Saturday and Sunday at the Jayhawk Challenge, with the women competing in Topeka at West Ridge Lanes and the men battling in Lawrence at Royal Crest Lanes.