Bandy repeats as nation’s top bowler, Galante Rookie of the Year

 
 
Bandy repeats as nation’s top bowler, Galante Rookie of the Year   April 16, 2008

WICHITA, Kan. — The bus ride back to Pikeville will be a little more crowded as room will be made for plenty of hardware handed to the bowlers from Pikeville College.

Chief among those honored was senior Kayla Bandy, who was named MVP for the second straight year by the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA) and took the honor of Bowler of the Year for the second straight time as named by the Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA).

Three other Pikeville bowlers were also honored on Wednesday night at the annual Night of Champions banquet, held at the Hilton Wichita Airport. The event was held on the eve of the 2008 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships, to be held Thursday through Saturday at Northrock Lanes.

Bandy was so honored a year ago, and the awards cap a phenomenal career for the two-sport star. In her career, Bandy was named rookie of the year by the NCBCA as a freshman and is a three-time first-team All-American after being named to the second team in her first year.

“There’s not a lot else for Kayla to accomplish in college bowling as an individual,” said Coach Ron Damron. “She has had a phenomenal career and, historically, will take a backseat to nobody. Now, her mission is to win the only thing that has really eluded her, which is a national championship.”

Bandy was led the country in average differential, which is the difference between her score and the average rolled in the tournaments in which she competed. Her differential was 34.111. Her average for the season of 202.516 was second in the country this year.

She finished in the Top 10 in all eight of her tournaments this season, was in the Top Five five times and was the winner of the Striking Knights tournament with an average of 213.833.

Freshman Ashly Galante was named first-team All-American by the NCBCA and was its Rookie of the Year. Galante, in addition, was named a runner-up for bowler of the year by the BWAA.

While the coaches’ association honors five players on its first- and second-teams as well as five honorable mention winners, the writers name a bowler of the year, four other runners-up to equal a first-team, and three honorable mention winners.

“Ashly has just been tremendous for us this year,” said Damron, who saw a Pikeville College bowler named Rookie of the Year for the fourth straight year. “She’s a great bowler who seems to really step up when the pressure is on.”

Galante follows Jaime Foster as ROY last year, men’s bowler Ronnie Sparks in 2006 and Bandy in 2004.

Galante was fourth in the country in scoring average at 198.386 and sixth nationally in average differential at 29.935. She posted four Top Fives this season and won the Team Match Games with an average of 215.222.

Sophomore Kyle Barnes from Smyrna, Tenn., was also named a first-team All-American by the NCBCA and a runner-up for bowler of the year by the BWAA.

Barnes was fourth in the nation in scoring average at 206.694 and ninth in differential at 24.086. He had four Top Fives this season and won two championships, the Raider Classic where he averaged 216.8 and the Striking Knights where he posted a 220.0.

“I’ve been saying all season that Kyle was becoming a star in college bowling and tonight I think we saw that it’s happened,” said men’s bowling coach Kyle Wilson. “He’s been solid all season and this honor is well-deserved.”

Finally, Jennifer Wright was named a second-team All-American by the coaches’ association. Wright was ninth in scoring average at 196.2 and 10th in differential at 27.905. She had four Top Five finishes this season.

“I’m very proud of Jennifer and thought she had a legitimate shot at being on the first team,” Damron said. “It’s a tribute to the level of women’s bowling that she is a second-team choice because she’s been terrific all season long.”