The men’s and women’s club bowling teams following their Big Ten Championship match Dec. 2. Credit: @osu.bowling on Instagram
History was made on the alley for the first time in 38 years.
The Ohio State’s men’s and women’s bowling clubs won the Big Ten championship for the first time since 1985.
Founded in 1970, the Ohio State bowling club has been committed to marrying fun with the thrill of competing for a Big Ten school.
John Clinton, the sophomore club president, said he’s been bowling since middle school. Thus, finding a university where he could continue participating in the hobby was important, he said.
“For me personally, I’ve been bowling for 13 years, so finding a school where I could continue to do the sport I love was important to me,” Clinton said.
The championship tournament took place in Anderson, Indiana, on the weekend of Dec. 2, and the Buckeyes faced the reigning 2022 Big Ten Champions, Purdue University. Clinton said during the preliminary rounds, the team felt confident but was aware of the obstacles ahead.
After seven qualifying games, the men’s team was in the fourth seed, and the women’s team in the first. Both teams then went undefeated in bracket play and needed to be beaten twice in the title match.
The Buckeyes swept up the awards. Men’s and women’s varsity won first overall, and men’s junior varsity earned third.
As for individual results, men’s varsity member and freshman Bryce Lewin earned second place. For women’s varsity, senior Abbey Ambroza won first, sophomore Savannah Claar fourth and sophomore Emma Peruzzi earned fifth.
“I believe that this was a huge momentum builder for us for these next two tourneys,” Ambroza said. “We had six total [wins] from all teams on the all-tournament team and two varsity wins, which is a first in a very long time.”
The team will travel to Allenstown, Pennsylvania, for its next tournament from Dec. 18-21 and hopes to keep the ball rolling.
Winning a Big Ten championship is the perfect opportunity to gain exposure as a club, and the bowling team is hoping for just that, Ambroza said.
“Other people should join if they have experience bowling and want to find a group of people who just love to bowl and get along,” Ambroza said. “We are a fun group that jokes around, but when competition starts, we buckle down.”
