The Ankeny bowling teams will open their season on Thursday by hosting a CIML Conference dual meet against Johnston at B-Roll Bowling, which is now the home venue for both programs.
Ankeny also has a new head coach in Nick Payton, who took over the programs following the departure of Lane Richtsmeier after four seasons.
“The bowlers have been excited to be coached,” said Payton. “My philosophies are different, and the teaching methods creative and consistent. The bowlers have worked hard at ensuring they meet standards of excellence. It has been quite an adjustment. However, our team is coming right along.”
Richtsmeier guided the Hawks to a 15-26 record during his tenure, including a fifth-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament in 2020. The Hawkettes, who have struggled with low numbers during recent seasons, also went 15-26 under Richtsmeier.
Most of Payton’s coaching experience has been in football at the high school level, but he is an avid bowler.
“I bowled as a youth through high school,” he said. “I grew up competing in city and state tournaments as well as the Iowa Games.”
There are 28 bowlers on the boys’ team, including seniors Jamal Miller, Jackson Roberts and Sam Tigges and sophomore Gavin Johnston. That quartet helped the Hawks to records of 2-4 in the conference and 2-6 overall last year.
Tigges led the team with a 370.5 series average. He bowled a career-high series of 477 during a loss to Urbandale at Merle Hay Lanes.
Tigges later placed 24th in the conference meet, which was also held at Merle Hay. He earned third-team all-conference honors.
Johnston posted an average of 340.5. He bowled a career-high series of 410 to help the Hawks to a win over Valley by just two pins at Great Escape.
Miller had a 334.6 average. He bowled a three-game series of 567 in the district meet at Wayward Social in Marshalltown.
Roberts posted a 317.8 average. He bowled a 386 series in a loss to Waukee.
There are nine bowlers on the girls’ squad, which posted records of 2-4 in the league and 3-5 overall a year ago. Senior Lilianna Sinclair, junior Kali Ogg and sophomores Brooklyn Dietz and Olivia Harris are the team’s returning varsity regulars.
Harris led the Hawkettes with a 325.1 average. She bowled a career-high series of 373 in a loss to Valley.
Harris placed eighth at the conference meet with a three-game series of 469 while also helping her squad to a fourth-place finish. She earned first-team all-conference honors.
Ogg posted an average of 272.7. She led the Hawkettes to a victory over Ames by bowling a career-high series of 334.
Dietz had a 222.6 average, while Sinclair posted an average of 209.7. They both bowled a career-high–Sinclair had a 271 and Dietz shot a 254–in Ankeny’s win over Johnston at Game Day Lanes.
“We want to compete in every meet and come together as a team and demonstrate excellent sportsmanship,” Payton said. “We want to win our district, and we want to have fun!”