Lansing, Mich. — This is what postseason sports are supposed to feel like.

This is why you play.

Not for an easy Saturday.
Not for a smooth path.
Not for comfort.

For the Aquinas Saints Women's and Men's Bowling teams, the 2025-26 campaign has been about proving something — not just to the WHAC, not just to the NAIA, but to themselves. This wasn't about hoping to compete. This was about demanding respect.

Go big, or go home. Pressure thick enough to taste. Every spare magnified. Every frame is a season in itself.

And the Saints went big.

Aquinas Women — 3rd Place in the WHAC

The women entered the WHAC Championship as the #3 seed, and the growth of this program over the past four years cannot be overstated. Four years ago, Aquinas sat 95th in the nation. Today? 24th. A Top 25 team. That climb is not accidental.

In bracket play, the Saints opened with a strong 3–2 victory over Lourdes, showing composure in tight frames and executing down the stretch. Their shot-making was confident, their spare shooting steady.  It was another impressive 3-2 victory over Lawrence Tech in the quarter-finals.

They then squared off with St. Francis, Ill., in a high-level semifinal match. The Fighting Saints were sharp, and despite strong games from Aquinas, the Saints fell 3–1 and were sent to the elimination side.

There, Aquinas battled Indiana Tech in a pressure-filled match that went to the Warriors in three. Not quite the storybook ending the AQ Women hoped for, but a solid finish of third in the tournament is still a fantastic step up for the program.

And that finish matters.

This is a program building depth — depth that was visible all season. Brooke Binder and Tayler Mohney earned First Team All-Conference honors, a reflection of both individual excellence and program development. Behind them, the foundation continues to strengthen. For the first time in program history, Aquinas fielded a JV women's team this season — and they narrowly missed qualifying for the championship bracket.

That's not just progress. That's pipeline.

Coaches Jason Pranger and Madisen Lee Davis have played major roles in cultivating this growth, extracting confidence and consistency from a roster that believes in one another.

Third place in the WHAC. Top 25 nationally. Two First Team All-Conference bowlers. And more coming.

The women are not done building.

Aquinas Men — WHAC Champions

The men's path will be talked about in Aquinas bowling circles for a long time.

Seeded fourth, the Saints opened with a gritty 3–2 win over Rochester Christian. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't smooth. It was survival.

Next came #1 seed Indiana Tech. The regular season champions. The benchmark.

Aquinas grabbed Game 1 by just two pins. Lost Game 2 by four. Took Game 3 by nine. In a match defined by spare shooting and composure, the Saints closed it out in four games, shooting 202 in the clincher on a tough pair. They didn't want five. They made sure they didn't need it.

Then came Lourdes.

Red hot. Fearless. Bowling with nothing to lose after sending multiple Top 12 NAIA programs to the elimination bracket. Lourdes pushed Aquinas to five games and sent the Saints to the losers side.

From there, the path became brutal.

Rochester again. Win, or the NAIA dream likely ends. The Saints responded with a 3–1 victory against a team that never shot under 200 in the match.

Back to Lourdes. And this time, Aquinas would have to beat them twice.

The Saints took the first match in three straight games — their only sweep of the day — forcing the "if necessary" championship match.

And then came the moment.

Lane choice.

A coaching gamble. A calculated risk that backfired early. Down 2–1 in the deciding series. Facing elimination. Again.

Game 4 came down to the tenth frame. Kyle Pranger stepped up and struck out to post 218. Lourdes needed just seven pins with the final ball to seal it.

The Saints huddled.

Parents behind them. JV squads behind them. Women's team behind them. Energy building.

Lourdes missed the pocket. Made the spare. Five count on the fill ball.

218–217.

Game 5.

In that instant, momentum shifted. The building shook. Decibels spiked. The Saints rode the wave and sealed the title.

WHAC Champions.

For just the second time in program history. The first since 2015.

And this one? Earned the hard way.

Kyle Pranger. David Schaberg. Nicholas Schaberg. Tony DeLuccia IV. Dylan Maurer. Ian Carmichael. Joshua Boersma. Curtis Swezey.

Everybody bowled at some point. Every bowler sat at some point. Four different anchors on the day. That is trust. That is a true team approach.

With the win, Aquinas punches its ticket to the NAIA National Championships — no committee required.

First-ever qualification for NAIA Championships for the men's program.

History made.

Coach's Comments

On the Women

"I'm incredibly proud of how far this program has come. Four years ago we were 95th in the nation, and now we're a Top 25 team. Brooke and Tayler earning First Team All-Conference honors is a reflection of their work, but what excites me most is our depth. We now have a JV program pushing our varsity every single day. That's culture. That's sustainability. And we're just getting started."

On the Men

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully describe that day. We made mistakes. I made a coaching mistake. But just like every open frame, we responded. That Game 4 moment — when we thought it might be over and then got one more chance — that changed everything. The guys stayed together. Every one of them contributed. To win the WHAC like that and punch our ticket to Nationals without needing a committee? That's special. But this group isn't satisfied. Our work isn't done."

Thank You's

"This doesn't happen without people behind the scenes. Oksana Fanygina, Jason Pranger, Madisen Lee Davis, Bryan Russell — the time and energy you give these kids matters more than you know. Thank you to Sergey Kovalev, Tyler Davis and Latrice Cartwright Russell for your support. Thank you to the parents who show up every weekend and create that energy — you were crucial in that Game 4 moment. Thank you to Damon Bouwkamp, Joey Sutherlin, Connor Leppink and the administration for following along and believing in us.

And most importantly, thank you to my wife Jordan and Quinn. The hug after that match made it real. You sacrifice so much for me to coach at this level. That win meant everything because you were there."

Inside the Numbers

     • 2nd WHAC Championship in men's program history (first since 2015)
     • 1st-ever NAIA National Championship qualification for AQ Men's Bowling
     • 2 First Team All-Conference selections (Brooke Binder, Tayler Mohney)
     • Women finish 3rd in the WHAC as a Top 25 national program
     • Men defeat #1 seed Indiana Tech and survive two elimination matches
     • 1-pin victory (218–217) that changed the entire championship

Up Next

The postseason continues.

Both teams will compete at the USBC ITC Sectionals on Saturday, March 16 in Pittsburgh. From there, the AQ Men will return to Lansing for the NAIA National Championships on March 19–21 at Royal Scot.

Fans are encouraged to visit AQSaints.com for full coverage, results, stats, and updates.

Congratulations to the AQ Men for capturing only the second WHAC Championship in program history — and one that was more than a decade in the making.

And to both programs: this is what building something the right way looks like.