2014 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA GIRLS BOWLING: OAA champions anchor talented contingent
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
Dan.Stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
This past bowling season marked the 12th campaign that the MHSAA has sponsored a high school bowling state tournament in Michigan. In this time frame, the sport has slowly grown and established its own niche in the prep sports landscape around the state.
When the sport first debuted, the only local schools to sponsor the sport were Clarkston and Lake Orion. Troy, Troy Athens, Oxford, Holly, Ortonville Brandon and Auburn Hills Oakland Christian followed suit the next couple of years. Last year, it was Pontiac Notre Dame Prep that joined the fold, while Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes added a unified program with Clarkston Everest Collegiate this season.
The talent pool within these programs has also grown over the years, making it far more difficult to earn postseason honors and success as to the early years. That is the case here on the All-North Oakland Area Girls Bowling Team.
Made up of eight members on the first team, plus 15 honorable mentions, there was plenty of individual talent knocking them down with consistency this winter and NOS staff had a much more difficult task of selecting the postseason squad this season.
Below is a brief profile of each first team member. Clarkston coaches Elanor Hallman and Al Pittman are honored as the Coach of the Year after leading the Wolves to a fine season.
HIGH FIVES: Holly’s Heidi Martin had plenty of reasons to celebrate this past winter and the latest is earning a spot on the All-North Oakland Area Girls Bowling Team. File Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com.
FIRST TEAM
HANNAH FARMER, Oxford: A sophomore in her second varsity campaign, Farmer averaged 177.09 this season for the Wildcats. She had a high game of 266, a high two-game series of 477 and was named to the All-OAA Second Team. She placed 50th at the Oakland County Championships, 33rd at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional and was top 16 at the OAA Tournament.
TRYNA GLADSTONE, Lake Orion: Another talented sophomore, Gladstone averaged 173.36 in conference play and earned All-OAA Second Team honors. She was 12th at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,054) and 44th at the Oakland County Tournament.
“She’s a lot like her older sister who made the all-area team a few years ago,” said coach Kevin Crowther. “As a sophomore she had a roller coaster ride with some up and downs but overall she had a good season. We’re hoping she’ll really have a breakout season next year and be one of the better bowlers in our league.”
ALYSSA HURLBURT, Oxford: Named to the All-OAA Second Team, Hurlburt was one of Oxford’s most consistent bowler sthis winter, averaging 173.31. She had a high game of 257 and a two-game series best of 444. The third-year varsity veteran was 28th at the Oakland County meet and placed 15th at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional. She was also top eight at the OAA tournament.
SAMANTHA LAVELY, Clarkston: The first of three Wolves on the first team, the lone freshman on the first team averaged 175.90 on the campaign. She finished 15th at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,033) and 30th at the Oakland County Tournament (511). She earned All-OAA Second Team honors for the league co-champions.
COURTNEY LEBLANC, Lake Orion: Voted to the Division 1 All-State Third Team, LeBlanc had a fine four-year career with the Dragons with many notable finishes as a senior. She placed sixth in the qualifying block at the Division 1 state finals (1,306) and reached the Round of 16 before falling to Macomb Dakota’s Nicole Makaelian by only 10 pins (413-403). She was also top eight at the OAA Tournament, 23rd at the Oakland County tourney (530) and second at the Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,181). She also earned All-OAA First Team honors and had the third-highest average (194.89) combining the two divisions of the OAA.
“At first she wasn’t even going to come out for bowling this year, but she had a change of heart,” said coach Kevin Crowther. “She ended up having a great season and ended up being a really good leader for our young team.”
HEIDI MARTIN, Holly: One of the area’s most dominant bowlers the past two years, Martin averaged 189 for the campaign with season highs of 278 (single game) and 476 (two-game series). She was the Oakland County champion (681) and also had the fifth-highest individual game at that tournament (246). She claimed fifth at the Division 2 Owosso Capitol bowl regional (1,097), third at the FML Tournament and was 26th at the D-2 state finals (1,086). The All-Flint Metro League First Team honoree holds the school records for high game, high series and season and career averages.
“Heidi is the hardest working bowler I know and has overcome a lot to become a leader, scholar athlete and a great bowler,” said coach Jeff Suma.
CHELSEA TURK, Clarkston: A junior, this three-year varsity veteran averaged 186.93. Named to the All-OAA First Team, Turk was 13th at the Oakland County meet (501) with the 10th-highest single game (224) at that tourney. She was also top 16 at the OAA Tournament and 24th at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional. Her consistency aided the Wolves’ run to the state tournament and a league title.
VICTORIA WOLFGANG, Clarkston: A sophomore, Wolfgang had a fine season in leading the Wolves to a league crown and a state finals berth. She averaged 183.41 in OAA play and made the All-OAA First Team. She finished 29th at the Oakland County meet (513), top eight at the OAA Tournament, fifth at the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional (1,104) and claimed 35th at the D-1 state finals (1,146).
COACH OF THE YEAR
ELANOR HALLMAN-AL PITTMAN, Clarkston: In their sixth season with the Wolves, Clarkston was the best of the bunch in North Oakland County with a roster stacked with non-seniors. The Wolves finished 9-1 in duals to share the OAA Red Division crown with Lake Orion and were semifinalists at the OAA Tournament. Clarkston also finished fourth in the qualifying block at the Oakland County Tournament (3,327) and reached the Round of 16 in bracket play. At the Division 1 Waterford 300 Bowl regional, the Wolves claimed third (3,462) to reach the state finals, where they were 12th (3,325) in the qualifying block. They missed bracket play at the state meet by only 82 pins.
2014 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA
GIRLS BOWLING TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Hannah Farmer Oxford Sophomore
Tryna Gladstone Lake Orion Sophomore
Alyssa Hurlburt Oxford Junior
Samantha Lavely Clarkston Freshman
Courtney LeBlanc Lake Orion Senior
Heidi Martin Holly Senior
Chelsea Turk Clarkston Junior
Victoria Wolfgang Clarkston Sophomore
CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
Elanor Hallman Clarkston Sixth Season
Al Pittman Clarkston Sixth Season
HONORABLE MENTION
Clarkston: Haley Paull, soph.; Sophie Hubble, jr.; Holly: Jessica Cooley, sr.; Lisa Collins, sr.; Lake Orion: Hannah Mix, fr.; Lexi Babicz, fr.; Ortonville Brandon: Mallory Huckabone, sr.; Tricia Childers, sr.; Oxford: Megan Kessler, fr.; Pontiac Notre Dame Prep: Sarah Chick, soph.; Erin McIntosh, jr.; Sam Houle, jr.; Troy: Yoo Hyun Kim, sr.; Troy Athens: Alex Ngo, sr.; Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes-Clarkston Everest Collegiate Unified: Olivia Imbler, sr.
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