Cougars tie program-best finish with fifth-place showing at NJCAA National Championships #GoBarton
Clark's deliver program's top doubles finish as Cougars match best national finish for second straight year
The Barton Community College men's bowling team matched its best finish in program history over the weekend, placing fifth for the second straight year at the NJCAA National Championships held at Royal Scott Lanes in Lansing, Michigan.
The Cougars concluded the two-day tournament with a 12,988 pin total, finishing behind national champion Rock Valley College (13,910), while Iowa Western Community College (13,560) placed second and Vincennes University (13,438) rounded out the top three.
Competition opened Friday morning with the singles and doubles portion, as each competitor rolled three games in both formats. Campbell Peterson led Barton individually in singles with an eighth-place finish, rolling games of 233, 215, and 214 for a 662 series. Jett Cosby followed in 25th place with a 614 series (183, 218, 213) while Jacob Clark finished 33rd (604) and Dayden Cunningham placed 35th (597).
Moving to two-man doubles competition, the Cougars turned in a historic performance as Simon Clark and J. Clark delivered the highest doubles finish in program history, finishing national runner-up behind a 1,318 series (425, 413, 480). The duo of Cunningham and Cosby added a 22nd-place finish, combining for a 1,164 series (406, 412, 346).
Following Friday morning's opening session, Barton stood second in the team standings with 6,046 pins, trailing Rock Valley (6,479) while Vincennes University held third with 5,975.
The Cougars slipped to fourth place after the opening three team games Friday afternoon, finishing the day with 8,617 pins, as Rock Valley maintained its lead with 9,155, followed by Iowa Western (8,746) and Vincennes (8,732).
Saturday's competition featured the final three team games followed by nine Baker games, ultimately seeing Barton conclude the championship with a fifth-place finish totaling 12,988 pins, tying the program's best finish at the NJCAA National Championships for the second straight year.
In the final All-Events standings, Peterson paced the Cougars with a 23rd-place finish (2,297), followed by Cunningham in 39th (2,177) and Cosby in 47th (2,130).