THE RUNDOWN
DBU Bowling concluded their 2024-25 regular season at Bowlero Thousand Oaks in San Antonio, Texas, for the SWIBC Championships on February 8th and 9th.

The Patriots started Saturday with six team games of 907, 774, 787, 1050, 844, and 890. After day one, DBU was tied for fourth place with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette at a total score of 5,252. The goal became to remain in the top four after three more games on the second day, as the top-four teams would advance to a matchplay final after nine team games.

On Sunday, the Patriots knew what they had to do to get to match play for the first time in team history. Starting game seven on the same pair as the team they were tied for in ULL. DBU beat ULL game seven by 130 pins with a total score of 969. DBU gave 45 pins back to ULL in game eight with a score of 857. The stage was set for an entertaining game nine. Back on the same pair as ULL, DBU matched their team score of 877, securing fourth place by 85 pins and advancing to match play. Sophomore Trenton Wagner led the team, averaging 190.56 throughout the nine-team games.

Matchplay featured ten of the most entertaining games you will find in collegiate bowling. Both rounds featured the best of five baker game matches between the remaining teams. In the first round, #4 DBU faced #1 UTSA, and #2 Texas A&M faced #3 SNU. The match between DBU and UTSA would go back and forth for the entirety of the five games. The first four head-to-head baker game results are as follows:

Game 1: W 193-186
Game 2: L 238-165
Game 3: W 209-171
Game 4: L 178-167

Everything came down to a fifth, winner-take-all baker game. The game went back and forth before Junior Paul Marquez sealed the deal with a spare in the tenth frame, leading to a 189-171 Patriots win. DBU Bowling had not only made it to match play for the first time but knocked out the tournament leader in the first round. Meanwhile, SNU defeated Texas A&M in a match that also went to five games.

This set the stage for a #4 DBU vs #3 SNU conference championship match. The two underdogs and familiar foes would go head-to-head in a classic five-game match. The five head-to-head baker game results are as follows:
Game 1: W 179-173
Game 2: L 243-184
Game 3: W 196-181
Game 4: L 251-215
Game 5: L 216-176

The Patriots took second place in the conference championship after SNU proved stronger in the last winner-take-all-all-baker game.

"This weekend was absolutely fantastic." DBU Bowling Head Coach Jonathan Beyer said. "We set out this weekend with a goal to bring home some hardware for the first time in program history, and we did just that. We were so close to that first win, but I know that will be here soon. I could not be proud of what this group of fine student-athletes achieved; it was truly special to watch. We are blessed with an amazing opportunity to compete at this level and share the love of Christ through our sport and how we represent ourselves and Dallas Baptist University."

Fans can watch Head Coach Jonathan Beyer's full recap on the DBU Bowling social media pages. The entirety of the tournament is also available to watch on the DBU Bowling YouTube Channel.

The varsity lineup had contributions from Juniors Travis Sorola, Paul Marquez, and Katelyn Matheus, Sophomores Trenton Wagner and Ryan Lira, and Freshmen Zack Wassam, Justin Reyes, and Makenzie Lewis.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 
- The second-place tournament finish is the highest in DBU Bowling history.
- This was the first match play appearance for DBU Bowling.
- DBU finished the regular season ranked 116 out of 181 qualifying teams nationally, besting last year's final ranking of 143 out of 180 teams.
                                                                                                                                         
INSIDE THE NUMBERS  
1050 - The highest team game in DBU Bowling history, bowled on day one.
279 - The highest individual game in DBU Bowling history, bowled on day two by Sophomore Trenton Wagner.

UP NEXT  
The Patriots set their focus in Intercollegiate Singles Sectionals on March 7 at Cityview Lanes in Fort Worth. This event is the only singles event on the collegiate bowling schedule and will conclude the season for DBU Bowling.