Jackson, Mich. -- The first tournament of a new bowling season can tell you plenty about a team beyond its place in the standings. Saturday's WHAC #1 Jackson Open gave Aquinas a look at a women's squad navigating change with resilience and a men's squad that kept its morale high through a demanding field. Both left JAX 60 Lanes with work to do and reason to look forward to what comes next.

Aquinas women: Fifth, 5,613 pins | Aquinas men: Seventh, 6,217 pins

The standings combined each team's pinfall from three traditional games and four Baker blocks. In traditional play, bowlers recorded individual games; in Baker competition, five bowlers shared each team game by alternating frames.

Aquinas Women — Fifth Place

The women opened traditional play with 857 pins, then found another gear with a 991 in Game 2, their best traditional team score of the day. They added 875 in Game 3. After Baker blocks of 685 and 643, the Saints answered with an 817-pin third block and closed with 745.

Tayler Mohney led Aquinas and placed sixth individually with a 597 series. She saved her best game for last, rolling a 235 after opening with 178 and 184. Carly Pavka finished 26th with a 551 series, including a 213 in Game 2, while Veronica Flanagan placed 30th with a 529.

Skylar Davy added 388 across two traditional games, and Sophia Santo contributed 323 in two. Natalia Blounin and Layla Hunter-Suchodolski each appeared in one traditional game.

The Aquinas reserve women placed eighth with 3,490 pins. Lily Jones led the group with a 478 series, highlighted by a 203 in Game 2. Brooklyn Gorski followed with 475, Mercedes Edney totaled 462, and Nevaeh Porter added 416.

Aquinas Men — Seventh Place

The men began traditional play with 1,037 pins. After a 925 in Game 2, they responded with a 1,074 in Game 3, their highest traditional team score of the tournament.

Aquinas carried that response into the Baker portion. The Saints rolled blocks of 761, 758 and 797 before closing with an 865, their best Baker block of the day. They finished seventh overall and fifth among WHAC teams. Head coach Harold Klukowski believes the six teams ahead of Aquinas all have top-25 potential nationally, adding perspective to the Saints' opening result.

Kyle Pranger paced Aquinas with a 669 series, tying for 17th individually. He opened with a 255 and closed his three-game set with a 229. Joshua Boersma placed 28th with a 637 series, finishing with a 227 in Game 3.

Dylan Maurer added a 596 series to place 50th. Bonham Pulcifer rolled 415 across two games, including a 232 in Game 3, while Curtis Swezey contributed 364 in two. Ian Carmichael and Tony DeLuccia also appeared in traditional play.

The Aquinas reserve men placed 12th with 4,307 pins. Kolin Doyle led the group with a 610 series, improving in each game from 176 to 211 to 223. Bradyn Curtis rolled 564, Seth Burton totaled 528, and Matthew Boersma added 478.

Coach's Comments

Klukowski saw two teams whose opening-day finishes left room to grow, but whose response throughout the tournament gave him confidence heading into next weekend.

"Although we finished seventh in the tournament and fifth out of WHAC teams, we bowled better than our scores reflected," Klukowski said of the men. "The six teams ahead of us are all likely top-25 teams in the nation. Our guys kept their morale up all day, and I fully expect a bounce-back performance next weekend. This team is ready to put in the work to take that next step."

"I'm proud of the women's resilience," Klukowski added. "With some roster shakeup, new coaches and everything, they performed well. Next week will be fun as our roster should be back to full strength. Look for a big weekend at the Midwest Classic!"

Saints Snapshots

• Mohney saves her best for last: Her 235 in Game 3 carried her to sixth place individually.
• Pranger starts strong: A 255 in his first game helped him lead the AQ men with a 669 series.
• Women meet the moment: The Saints took fifth while working through roster changes to open the season.
• Men keep pushing: Aquinas closed with its best Baker block of the day, an 865.
• Reserves join the effort: Jones led the AQ women with 478 pins, while Doyle paced the men with 610.

Up Next

Both Aquinas teams return to competition Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Midwest Collegiate Championships in the Clinton Township and Sterling Heights area. Follow AQSaints.com for results and coverage throughout the season.

It's a great day to be a Saint.