AV
Amanda Van Duyn
  • communication
  • Class of 2017
  • Kenosha, Wis.

Kenosha Native Van Duyn Begins 2014-15 Bowling Season at UW-Whitewater

2014 Nov 13

Amanda Van Duyn, a graduate of Kenosha Bradford High School and accounting major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is a member of the Warhawks' 2014-15 bowling team.

Competing against several nationally-ranked teams, UW-Whitewater, which started the season ranked eighth by the National Tenpin Coaches Association, started the season with top five finishes at the Farleigh Dickinson University New Jersey Jamboree (Oct. 31-Nov. 2) and the Valparaiso University Crusader Classic (Nov. 7-9).

The Warhawks conclude competition for the calendar year this weekend at the University of Nebraska's Big Red Invite and UW-Oshkosh's Titan Invite.

See below for a complete season preview.

The Warhawks, despite losing five seniors including the 2013-14 NCAA Division II/III Player of the Year, will look to be competitive in both NCAA and USBC competition. UW-Whitewater finished third in last year's NCAA Championship, the best finish in school history, in a field dominated by Division I institutions.

"This may be a transition year for us after graduating five seniors, the bulk of our travel roster, last year," head coach Leann Eimermann said.

The Warhawks graduated the NCAA Division II/III Player of the Year, Katie Zwiefelhofer (Racine/Racine Park) and All-American Ashley Bell (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls). Both have remained with the program as assistant coaches.

This season, UW-Whitewater returns the NCAA DII/DIII Rookie of the Year Amanda Van Duyn (Kenosha/Kenosha Bradford), who Eimermann looks to take over the top spot as the team's leader on the lanes.

"Amanda [Van Duyn] is throwing the ball really well so far," Eimermann said. "I think she will be able to make the same type of impact that Katie and Ashley did. We also have junior Lindsay Rusch (Appleton/Kimberly), who was on the All-Tournament Team at nationals last year."

Senior Dayna Mackie (Glendale Heights, IL/Glendale Heights) is special to Eimermann as the first player she has coached for four years. The team will also look to Jaymi Watson (Kenosha/Tremper), who qualified for the individual United States Bowling Congress championship last season, and Taylor Hoppe (Rockford, IL/Thomas Jefferson), who gained experience with the varsity roster a year ago.

Unique to bowling, the Warhawks have the opportunity to be successful in two different associations, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the USBC. Women's bowling in the NCAA is non-divisional so institutions classified under each of the three divisions compete in one, eight-team championship. The USBC hosts its own championship event with team and individuals earning their spot in the finals in sectional events in the spring.

The Warhawks are ready to enter the bulk of the 2014-15 season with some added motivation.

"We are ready to go," said Coach Eimermann. "Some in the bowling community think that we may not be as successful this season now that we lost some key people and I think our team is taking it personally. I'm taking it personally."

The Warhawks' bowling squad is unique in comparison to other NCAA programs because of its size.

"With 21 women on our team, we're able to develop younger players on our roster whereaas most other NCAA schools only carry ten. Because of that, we've been able to rebuild," posited Coach Eimermann.

The "Why Not Us" slogan, adopted by the team last season, is likely to carry over into this year as well.

"Because we are unable to give scholarships like the Division II and Division I programs, I think we are often overlooked," said Eimermann. "But we want to compete and we want to win."