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Grand View’s men and women’s bowling enters their fifth season on a high note after top-10 finishes in their first two tournaments.

The women’s bowling team is currently being led by junior, Brittany Smith, who has placed in the top five bowlers in the first two tournaments of the season. Smith is continuing her leadership role for her third year after placing in the top 10 at nationals last season.

“I finished in the top five (freshman and sophomore year) so I made First Team All-American both years. So this year, again, I’m just trying to reach the top so I can’t quite get to number one spot but it’s definitely my goal,” Smith said.

The men’s bowling team is lead by junior, Zach Fries. The first tournament of the season, Fries averaged 213.3, leading the team to an eighth place finish out of 40 teams.

“As the season continues, I see us finishing higher and higher at every tournament compared to our last season’s tournament finishes. I expect this team will be at least a top 20 men’s team in the nation. This team is truly a great one and we have confidence in our team that I have not seen the previous two years I’ve been on the team,” Fries said.

This year’s bowling team mostly consists of outstanding young players. Head coach Gary Gioffredi said he has a positive outlook on the newer half of the team.

“What we’ve seen from our current freshman, they are already pushing to get into the ‘A team,’ and actually, we actually already have three freshman that have been starting for both of our teams. The experience they are getting right now will make it better for our years to come,” Gioffredi mentioned.

Standout freshman Sam Cantrell finished sixth, with an average of 206 during the second tournament of the year.

The Vikings will compete next at the Sandhills Collegiate Classic, October 17th in Lincoln, Nebraska.