The bowling team got off to a rocky start this season, with only 52 students trying out, the lowest number in three years. The girls’ varsity team only had one returning senior, Claire Gordon. Even with so many beginners, the team has done well and new players improve daily.

“ blended together really well,” senior Mitchell Jinks said. “I’m excited to see how well together the team will be in upcoming years,”

Both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams placed first at the SMNW Baker’s Meet. The varsity girls’ team also placed second in the regional tournament at the Olathe East Lanes on Feb. 21.

“It’s been incredible,” Gordon said. “I love my team and we’ve done so much more than what’s expected of us with losing so many girls last year,”

Qualifiers for the state tournament were seniors Davis Millard, Mitchell Jinks, and Claire Gordon and juniors Kelly Chambers, Amanda Vanderwerf and Cassie Queral and sophomores Abbie Musson and Jake Higgins and freshman Brittany Weber. In the face of difficulty, the girls’ team placed 5th at the state competition in Wichita on March 1. Junior Cassie Queral individually took 11th place. The girls were the only Shawnee Mission school to compete as a team at the state tournament.