Clinton Township, Mich. -- Forty-five men's teams arrived looking to make some noise. By the end of Saturday, they were all looking up at Aquinas. Talk about answering the bell! One week after a season opener that left the Saints hungry for more, the Maroon and White stormed to the front of the Midwest Collegiate Championships behind an individual champion and a little program history. Kyle Pranger won the individual title, Tony DeLuccia joined him on the All-Tournament Team, and the Aquinas women kept pushing toward a breakthrough that head coach Harold Klukowski believes is getting closer.

Aquinas women: 13th of 35, 7,217 pins | Aquinas men: Third of 45 in qualifying, 8,417 pins; eliminated in first round of match play

The Saints competed Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4, with qualifying consisting of five traditional team games and 16 Baker games. In traditional competition, bowlers complete their own games; in Baker play, five teammates alternate frames to build a shared team score.

Aquinas Women — Building Toward a Breakthrough

The women are still awaiting a full varsity lineup, but the Saints continue finding ways to stay competitive. Aquinas finished in the upper half of a 35-team field, and the final standings showed how little separated the Saints from a top-10 finish.

Aquinas opened traditional play with a 947, its best team game of the weekend, and followed with a 929. Skylar Davy provided an immediate spark with a 257 in the opener, while Veronica Flanagan rolled a 219 and Carly Pavka added a 203. Together, those three accounted for 679 pins in the Saints' opening game.

Davy followed her big start with a 205, giving her 462 pins through two games. She finished with 766 across four appearances and a 191.5 average, delivering the highest individual game of the weekend for the AQ women.

Flanagan led Aquinas over the full five-game set, placing 21st individually with 958 pins and a 191.6 average. Along with her opening 219, she supplied a 199 in Game 2 and a 213 in Game 4.

Pavka finished 40th with a 905 series and a 181 average. After her opening 203, she closed with a 188, her second-highest game of the tournament.

Tayler Mohney totaled 836 pins to tie for 75th, saving her best game for last with a 176. Sophia Santo added 452 across three games, Layla Hunter-Suchodolski contributed 331 in two, and Natalia Blounin supplied a 165 in the final traditional game.

The Saints completed traditional competition with games of 824, 869 and 844, bringing their total to 4,413. They added 2,804 pins in Baker play, with their strongest four-game stretch coming in Games 5-8. Aquinas totaled 780 during that stretch, including a 211 and a 207.

The final margin offered perspective on the Saints' finish. Aquinas was just 16 pins behind 12th-place Midland, 19 behind 11th-place Cumberlands and 27 behind 10th-place Saint Xavier. The Saints also held off Olivet by four pins and Clarke by seven.

There is still work ahead, but Klukowski sees a group doing enough to remain in the fight while its lineup comes together. A few more converted opportunities could make a meaningful difference in a field this tightly packed.

Aquinas Men — Leading the Field, Making History

Klukowski believed the men were ready for a bounce-back after the opening WHAC tournament. Saturday gave him plenty of evidence.

The Saints topped 1,000 pins in every traditional team game, opening with 1,054 before adding 1,018 and 1,035. Then came their biggest push: a 1,175 in Game 4 and a 1,104 in Game 5.

That closing surge carried Aquinas to a field-leading 5,386 pins in traditional competition. The Saints finished Saturday 147 pins ahead of Savannah College of Art and Design and 164 ahead of Wisconsin-Whitewater, putting the Maroon and White atop the qualifying standings heading into Sunday.

Pranger's championship performance gathered momentum after an opening 182. He answered with a 230, followed by a 248, a 265 and a closing 235. His final four games totaled 978 pins, helping him finish with a 1,160 series and a 232 average.

Pranger captured the individual title by 20 pins over Trevor Anifer of St. Francis (Ill.). His ability to respond after the opener helped set the tone for a Saints team that kept building throughout Saturday.

DeLuccia gave Aquinas another standout performance, placing fourth with 1,119 pins and a 223.8 average. He opened with a 233 and, after a 184 in Game 2, responded with a 246 and a 257 before closing with a 199.

Pranger and DeLuccia became the first Aquinas men to earn All-Tournament Team honors together at the same Tier I tournament. An individual championship is a tremendous weekend on its own. Adding a teammate to the tournament's elite group made this one a milestone for the program.

Joshua Boersma strengthened the Saints' push with a 15th-place finish, totaling 1,064 pins and averaging 212.8. His opening 251 led Aquinas in Game 1, and he added a 232 during the Saints' best team game.

Dylan Maurer finished 41st with 1,004 pins and a 200.8 average. He rolled a 214 twice and closed with a 211, contributing three games above 200.

Curtis Swezey totaled 578 pins across the first three traditional games. Bonham Pulcifer stepped into the final two and delivered a 207 and a 254, averaging 230.5 across those appearances.

The Saints' 1,175 in Game 4 brought all five bowlers together above 200: Pranger's 265, DeLuccia's 257, Boersma's 232, Maurer's 214 and Pulcifer's 207. Aquinas followed with another strong collective effort in the finale, including Pulcifer's 254 and Pranger's 235.

Sunday tested the Saints in Baker competition. Aquinas totaled 3,031 pins, highlighted by a 267 in its sixth Baker game, and completed qualifying with 8,417 to earn the third seed.

The Saints were eliminated in the first round of match play, bringing their team championship pursuit to an early end. That finish left something to chase, but it also came after a weekend that showed how much this group had grown in one week.

For Klukowski, the next challenge is becoming comfortable with the expectations that accompany those performances. Aquinas is establishing itself as a team opponents expect to see near the top.

Coach's Comments

Klukowski credited the men's communication on the opening day and their progress since the first WHAC tournament.

"Although we had our hiccups day 2, I am proud of our early season growth," Klukowski said. "We are in new territory, and it is hard getting used to it. We no longer surprise teams when we are near the top of a tournament. It has become expected. Bowling with those expectations is different than bowling with the hope and want to spoil other teams' days. We will get comfortable with this. I am sure of that!"

He also remains confident that the women's continued efforts will lead to bigger results.

"They are still down a varsity bowler," Klukowski said. "Once she is rostered, then this team will start surprising some people. They are already near the top and competing strong at each tournament. Big things are coming!"

Saints Snapshots

• The response had some roar: The men answered a demanding season opener by taking control of the opening day against a deep national field.
• A milestone worth celebrating: Pranger and DeLuccia shared the All-Tournament Team stage, giving Aquinas a program first and another reason to believe in its direction.
• Expectations are growing: Klukowski's message reflects the Saints' next challenge: learning to compete comfortably when opponents already expect Aquinas to contend.
• The women keep knocking: With their varsity lineup still coming together, the Saints stayed within reach of the top 10 and gave their coach more reason to anticipate a breakthrough.
• Success takes the whole lineup: Contributions throughout traditional play helped put the men in front and kept the women competitive.
• Back to work with purpose: Both teams leave with accomplishments to build on and clear opportunities to turn progress into stronger finishes.

Up Next

Both Aquinas teams travel to Addison, Ill., for the NAIA Invite from Friday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 18. Individual competition opens Friday, followed by Baker competition Saturday and match play Sunday. The men will look to build on their historic Midwest performance, while the women continue pursuing the breakthrough Klukowski believes is coming.

Follow AQSaints.com for results and coverage throughout the season, and all other AQ Athletics.

It's a great day to be a Saint.