FOND DU LAC — The Sabres have made history.
There’s been a lot of firsts in program history for the Marian University women’s bowling team this season and making the NCAA Tournament is one of them.
- Marian has had a fast ascension. The program began 5 years ago and has already reached the NCAA Tournament.
- Head coach Dan Mueller won the CCIW conference Coach of the Year award.
- Sabers junior Brenna Schiekiera, who won conference Bowler of the Year, also bowled the program first 300 earlier this season.
“We all love it to death,” said Sabres junior Jocelynn Eggert. “It’s our hobby, it's our second home, second family.”
The women’s bowling program at Marian University has only been around for 5 years and they’re already heading to their first ncaa tournament
“If you would have asked me when I started the program 5 years ago, what were my goals or whatever…this was not even close,” said head coach Dan Mueller.
Mueller has been there from the beginning building the team from the ground up.
“He puts 110 percent in every day, every weekend,” said junior Brenna Schiekiera. “He’s always there for us. He’s really great.”
The storybook season the Sabres earned Mueller the CCIW conference coach of the year award, the first in program history. Mueller gives all the credit to the team.
“The girls themselves, they are very dedicated to what we do,” he said. “They put the time in and they’re Division 3, they’re student athletes, they’re not here on scholarships, they’re not here to be an athlete first and be student when they want to be.”
That’s not the only first in program history. Schiekiera, who won conference Bowler of the Year, also bowled the program first 300 earlier this season.
“It was awesome. It was very nerve wracking, my 11th shot – knees shaking at the foul line – I just knew,” she said.
This squad credits a lot of their success to how close they are.
“When we’re on the lanes, nothing else matters but bowling and we’re always there for each other. We are always picking each other up. Even if we’re bowling bad, we always find a way to make it fun and pick our spares up.”
The Sabres will be playing 3 seed Youngstown State in Lansing, Michigan next weekend in the NCAA Regionals.
