TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Mobile Men's and Women's Bowling teams, led by second-year head coach Dana Evans, began the second half of the 2023-24 season over the weekend, beginning the new year with two tournaments in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Both bowling teams at Mobile began the year in October 2023 and have competed in a total of six tournaments so far this season. Following a break from early November to mid-January 2024, the Rams returned to the lanes to compete in the Throw Down in T-Town, where both teams made history with the first tournament victories in program history.
Men's Bowling Recap
On the men's side in Tuscaloosa, Mobile came away with two tournament titles across Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 13-14. During the first tournament to kick off the weekend, the Rams bowled a total score of 6,851 across five games to capture the program's first win, knocking off three other teams in the process. Included in the three teams that Mobile defeated on Saturday was the University of Alabama's club level bowling team. Also included are two of Mobile's conference foes in the SSAC, Stillman (Ala.) and Blue Mountain (Miss.). The Rams scored close to 200 points higher than second-place finisher Alabama.
The top three individual performers from Saturday's tournament all came from Mobile's roster, with freshman Logan Broussard winning the tournament by bowling a 1,041. Broussard became the only competitor to break 1,000 on Saturday, with his best game coming in game one where he bowled a 239. Broussard averaged 208 pins per game. He was followed by two more Mobile newcomers, with freshman Brandon Bufalini bowling a 992 and freshman Nicholas Pierce rounding out the top three with a 991.
Following the celebration after Saturday's first-ever win, it was back to business for Mobile on Sunday as the Rams faced the same three teams in yet another tournament in Tuscaloosa. Like Saturday, Mobile came out on top for back-to-back tournament victories, scoring a 6,692 across three games in Sunday's bout. Second-year Ram Trace Hauck, a member of the inaugural team last season, bowled a tournament-best 622, breaking 200 in two of the three games bowled. Hauck was followed by Luke Owers, who placed third overall with a 587, and fourth-place finisher Nicholas Pierce with his 565. Saturday's tournament champion Logan Broussard placed 11th overall on Sunday with a 530.
It was all smiles on the trip home to Mobile, Ala. for UM Men's Bowling as the team pocketed a pair of wins for the first time. Prior to this past weekend's success, the Rams' best finish in the two-year existence of the program was a sixth-place finish.
Women's Bowling Recap
After the inaugural 2022-23 season failed to see an official competition completed, the UM Women's Bowling team has officially competed in sanctioned tournaments during the 2023-24 campaign, with Mobile's best finish on the year being a fourth-place placement back in November. Over the weekend in Tuscaloosa, however, that all changed as the Rams earned a second-place finish with four active members from the roster on Saturday, Jan. 13. Mobile bowled a 4,040, trailing eventual tournament winner Blue Mountain. Freshman Kelsey Hicks led Mobile on Saturday with a fourth-place finish, bowling an 823 in five games. Only three teams total competed in both of the women's tournaments on the weekend.
The following day, Mobile bested Blue Mountain to cap off the weekend with the program's first-ever tournament title. The Rams bowled a 3,753 across three games to win by 210 points, led once again by Kelsey Hicks. Hicks, a Ponchatoula, La. native, scored a 682 to earn a second-place individual finish. She averaged 177 pins during Sunday's tournament. Teammate Kaelyn Tolley followed Hicks by finishing fourth overall, bowling a 440.
What's Next
After both bowling teams at Mobile earned the first tournament wins in program history over the weekend, the Rams will look to build on momentum in a couple of weeks, competing at the NAIA Southeast Open in Lawrenceville, Ga. The NAIA Southeast Open is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3-4 at the Bowlero Lilburn bowling alley in Lawrenceville.
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
