Lawrence, Kan. - The Central Methodist Men's and Women's bowling teams competed in the NAIA West Open this past weekend, with the competition being held at Royal Crest Lanes in Lawrence, Kansas.

The weekend featured 16 men's and 17 women's teams.

In a unique format, the event was split into two separate tournaments, with each day featuring head-to-head matchups against other programs. The team with the best match-play record at the end of the weekend was crowned the champion. Total pinfall was used if a tiebreaker was necessary.

In Saturday's five individual games, CMU was 14th in total pinfall with 4,521.

On Sunday (25 Baker games), Central knocked down 4,645 pins for a final weekend tally of 9,166 pins. CMU managed a 6-4 record in head-to-head competition.

Individually, Branden Groce was CMU's highest finisher, bowling a five-game average of 201.6 to finish 27th. Lane Hook followed in 64th place with a 178.4 average through five games. 

Adrian Wright (96th), Lukas Heldenbrand (102nd), Hayden Johnson (125th), Hunter Scott (146th), and Cole Clayton (148th) also bowled frames for the Eagles. 

For the women, Central finished 13th after five team games on Saturday with a total score of 3,948. In the second tournament on Sunday, the Eagles bowled 25 Baker games and finished 14th with a final score of 3,542. 

CMU finished head-to-head competition with a 2-8 record. 

Kathryn Chappell led the way, bowling a five-game average of 175.6 for a 34th-place finish. Savannah Rutar followed, bowling a five-game average of 168.2. 

Emma Kitchens landed in 73rd with a five game averega of 146.4. 

Maya Elliott, Alayna Abernathy, Alexis Livesay, and Engelle Milo also competed for the Eagles. 

Central will turn its attention to the postseason, beginning with the Heart of America Conference Tournament Saturday, Feb. 21 at Town and Country Lanes in Columbia, Mo. 

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