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The 2017-18 Season in Review

LINKS TO ALL THE POSTSEASON COVERAGE All the numbers have been pretty well crunched and the lists made.  The writing takes a while. I can&...

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Season in Review - Girls All-State Teams

See the boys all-state list for some semblance of an explanation if you wish.

NEW JERSEY GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING ALL-STATE TEAMS FOR 2018

FIRST TEAM

*Brittany Lucci, Junior, Hamilton West
Before she ran into the Kamerin Peters buzzsaw in the TOC final, Brittany Lucci had been putting up a sensational postseason performance. Her sectional score clocked in at 687, good for 3rd in the Central.  Then at the Individual finals, she tossed a blistering 678-738, the latter coming in as the 7th highest set anyone in the state bowled all season long. Only Lucci could keep up with Peters over six games; in fact, they were tied after five. Lucci followed that up with a 279 game to win the semifinal stepladder match, the highest anyone threw all day.  Okay, Peters wasn't to be denied in the final, but let's not overlook an awesome display by Lucci.  I wish we got to see what she can do over a full season, but there's no dispute that she earned a spot on this team.

Lanasia Neal, Senior, South Plainfield
Any list of Lanasia Neal's accomplishments is going to go on for quite some time. The 2016 TOC champ made her third straight stepladder in 2018, with a huge afternoon comeback that finished at 267-717. But that was just the final act of an amazing career.  Earlier this season, she took first at Bayshore, placed 2nd in qualifying at North Jersey Singles with a 754 set, finished 4th at Brick (638), 6th at CJWC (611), led the GMC in regular season average (208, 4th in the state), dominated the GMC Individual tournament (705-631) for the second straight year, and took 2nd in the Central sectional (688).  She's simply one of the best we've seen and has been a constant pleasure to watch.

Kamerin Peters, Sophomore, Toms River North
Just in case you thought her phenomenal 2017 was a fluke, Kamerin Peters pretty much did it all over again in 2018. She led the state in tournament average (215) and overall (211). She won the Brick Tournament (724), placed 2nd at Snowball (708), shot 712-680 to win the Shore Individual and placed 2nd at the South sectional with a 674 set. And then she really got rolling. The State Individual TOC title was the one thing that eluded Peters last year (by 2 pins), and there was no way on earth she was going to let that happen again, firing 687-740 (giving her five 700 sets on the season) to take the #1 qualifying spot, and then methodically threw twelve straight shots in the pocket to put up a 279 game in the final to take the championship (giving her an average of 243 for the day). In her spare time, she led Toms River North to its first TOC title and the state #1 ranking. Not sure how she could ever top this season, but it'll be fun to see her try.

Paige Peters, Freshman, Toms River North
This isn't surprising; at least it shouldn't be to anyone who had seen Paige bowl before the season started.  But it's still a truly remarkable accomplishment to be at first-team all-state level as a freshman, and there's no doubt that she belongs.  Her overall average (200, 8th in NJ) is fueled by a sensational array of tournament performances, starting with a 2-game 446 at Mustang, through a best-in-the-state 767 set at North Jersey Singles qualifying (she finished 2nd), 4th place at South Jersey Singles, 627 at Brick, 1st at Snowball (711), 626 at Shore Individual, 662 at South Sectional (4th) and 603-606 at TOC (14th). A regular season average of 197 punctuated by a 300 game was pretty great, too. Can't wait to see how high these two can reach over the next few years.

Katie Robb, Senior, Kingsway
A 2017 All-State selection, Robb was even better during the regular season this time around, averaging 208, sixth-best in the state, topping 700 twice (720, 707).  The tall righthander also had another postseason to remember, firing 611 to take 9th at sectionals and coming through once again at TOC, this time shooting 648-618 to finish in ninth, just 38 pins short of another stepladder appearance. Her high school career now over, Robb leaves quite a legacy at the Kingsway program, which grew much stronger during her era.

Amanda Shelters, Junior, Brick Memorial
As Brick Memorial's top gun, the preseason all-stater did not disappoint in the slightest, leading all of New Jersey in conference average at 210 and finishing second in both tournament (211) and overall (210). Shelters anchored the Shore-South-A champion Mustangs, and was maybe the most consistent big-time bowler we've got.  She took individual titles at RWTI (631) and CJWC (751, one of three 700 sets she would post on the season) and put up huge scores at Mustang (451-2 games), Brick (697, 2nd place), Snowball (655), the South Sectional (664 for 3rd place) and Team States (646 for ninth). Hard to imagine she could improve further as a senior, but nothing would surprise us.

Rhianna Smith, Senior, Hopatcong/Mt. Olive
One of the most talented bowlers in the state from the first day of her freshman season, Smith was brilliant in 2017-18, posting a 210 conference average (#2 in the state) and 209 overall (#3). Along the way, she managed 4 700 sets and THREE major tournament victories: North Jersey singles (including a 685 qualifying set), Falcon Frenzee (711) and Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex (704). It didn't end with her best result, but that doesn't detract at all from her all-state level season, or an excellent career that included two appearances in the TOC stepladder. The fluid and accurate lefty should find even more success in college, and we'll be watching.

SECOND TEAM

Marissa Cosentini, Sophomore, Wayne Valley
Building on a very strong freshman season, Cosentini flat out wrecked the Big North conference, leading in average by 20 pins with a 208 mark, 3rd best in the state. In limited tournament action, she placed 3rd at the FDU Team Challenge with a 599 set and posted an excellent 657 series to take 3rd place in the North Sectional.  Bowling well at the TOC, she came just one carry short of the cut with a fine 599 mark. One of the most mechanically sound young bowlers out there, another leap forward is very much a possibility.

Julianna Forbes, Senior, Brick Township
Another all-state level season for the senior, Forbes was equally effective in conference play and tournaments, averaging 198 in each. After some good scores early on - 623 at Brick, 423 (2 games) at Mustang), she had a fantastic postseason, finishing as the top individual in the Shore team tournament (683), placing 2nd in the Shore Individual, 7th at Sectionals (632) and having another great day at the individual TOC, shooting 687 in the morning and finishing tenth.

Morgan Gitlitz, Sophomore, Colts Neck
Gitlitz's breakthrough season started with a league-leading 192 average in Shore-Central-B, 16th in the state, but  her tournament success shined even brighter. She fired 608 at Shore Individual, 624 at Team States, 588 at Individual TOC, won the Monmouth County tournament with a 654 set and was the Central Sectional Champion behind a sparkling 691 series. All told, that's a 202 tournament average, 8th best in New Jersey.

*Totiana Miranda, Sophomore, Cumberland
I think this is the least I've known about a bowler when writing one of these things.  Don't know what grade she's in (edit: okay, now I know) or her bowling experience outside of nine games in the NJSIAA Individual tournament.  But those nine games consisted of a 676 to win the South Sectional and 691-599 to finish 7th at the TOC final.That's a 218 average, 3rd best of any bowler in the state.  That seems worthy of a spot here.

Kiara Powell, Senior, Union
She bowls with power and confidence and it's a lot of fun to see, unless you're her opponent.  Powell was absolutely stunning in tournaments, averaging 208 (4th in the state) and taking titles at the Wheeler (659) and Union County singles (1254 qualifying, 226 final). She also fired big sets at Falcon (600) and CJWC (617).  But her crowning achievement was a blistering 678 series at the (Boys) sectionals, which led her team to a 3043 set and the North 2 Group IV title.  She stayed hot at states, posting 629 to help Union crack 3000 again. It adds up to a 198 overall average (9th) and an easy all-state selection.

Caylin Ryan, Junior, Brick Township
A 686 set highlighted an outstanding regular season (199), and Ryan cemented her status with a string of great tournament days.  She shot 461 at Mustang (2 games) and 632 at Snowball, finished 5th at Bayshore, 2nd at CJWC (650), and 2nd at Shore Team (644).  Her individual postseason was also excellent, firing 603 at Sectionals to qualify and then 640-643 to finish 8th at the Individual TOC. Next year the tall righty will take over as Brick's senior leader, and even better numbers wouldn't be a surprise.

Goldera Surles, Senior, Union Catholic
Raising your average from the 180s to over 200 looks like an especially rare and difficult accomplishment. Goldera Surles pulled it off during her senior year, and with plenty of room to spare. Surles was lights-out during conference play, finishing with a fantastic 207 league average (7th in the state) that included a 747 set, 4th highest of anyone in the state this season. She also finished 3rd at Wheeler, shot 1422 over 7 games to finish 3rd at Union singles, earned a TOC slot, and came through big for her co-ed team at states with a clutch 640 series.

THIRD TEAM

Kelcie Mannon, Sophomore, Warren Hills
Despite a rocky conference season, few in the state could match Mannon's consistently excellent tournament record.  She finished 3rd at North Jersey Singles, 3rd at CJWC (622), 3rd at Snowball (707), 2nd at Skyland (627), and 3rd at H/W/S. To close things out, she was the only girl in the state to fire four postseason 600 sets, carding 618 at North Sectional (7th), 608-605 at TOC (13th) and 637 at Team States (637).  All that tournament work brought her overall average to 193, 16th in the state.

*Lauren Marks, Junior, Parsippany
I don't think anybody in the girls game covers as many boards as Marks; it's quite something to see, and when it's really working, like it was at the TOC, she can hang with literally anyone out there. Marks shot 654-684 to qualify 3rd and won a stepladder match before running into Lucci's 279 in the semis.  Earlier, she had finished 10th in the North sectional (592) and 3rd at Morris County (583).

Sarah Orensky, Sophomore, Freehold Township
Orensky's slow start (aside from a very good run to 6th at South Jersey Singles) was left in the dust with a fabulous final month, raising her conference average 8 pins in 3 weeks with 4 straight 600s, finishing 4th at Sectionals (668) and lighting up Team States (678, 2nd), bringing her overall average to 193 (17th). Along the way she's gotten more powerful and accurate and could have two fantastic seasons ahead of her.

Victoria Stasicky, Senior, Monroe
This is a great senior year story, improving from a 164 junior year average to all-GMC, a 707 top set, and 15th best overall average in the state at 194. Stasicky shot 580 at CJWC, 608-636 to make the GMC Individual stepladder before finishing second to Neal, placed 10th at Central Sectional (587) and 6th at Team States (650).

Natalie Swindell, Senior, Toms River South
Swindell's career has seen her always getting better, and she really reached a peak her senior year.  She beat a tremendous field to take home the South Jersey Singles title, took 2nd place at Bayshore, shot 623 at Brick and 598 at Shore Team and 597 at Shore Individual.  And then, as her career wrapped up, she found new heights with a 642 at Sectionals (5th) and a brilliant 690 set, the best of any bowler at Team States.  It all added up to a 197 tournament average, 192 overall, and a much-deserved all-state spot.

Alexa Tieto, Junior, Ocean Township
Thoroughly dominated the Shore Central A season, averaging 198 (10th in NJ), as well as rolling a 300 game and a 712 series. Tieto finished 4th at South Jersey Singles (564-617), won the LB Wave (657), and had a huge day at Shore Individual with a 664 set in qualifying, 246 in the quarterfinals and a 4th place finish. Her overall average (194) stands 14th in the state.

Katie Winch, Senior, Warren Hills
The Group III champs' vocal leader also led by example, producing by far the best average in the Skyland (191) and a 704 top set as well as the state's 13th best mark overall (195). Winch took 5th at FDU, 7th at CJWC (609), 2nd at H/W/S (634) and won the Skyland Tournament title (665). Her individual postseason series were good (584 at Sectional, 596 at TOC), but Team States is where she burned the brightest, with the event's 4th highest mark (661) and another state championship.

HIGH HONORABLE MENTION

Theresa Bedaro, Junior, Manchester
188 conference average was 2nd in Shore-South-B; very consistent - 189 in tourneys, 188 overall.  She shot 585 at RWTI, 573 at CJWC, placed 2nd at South Jersey Singles and 4th at Shore Individual (averaging 215).

Briget Bolan, Junior, Monroe
Second best average in the GMC at 194, shot 614 in GMC Individual prelims and then a 607 during the stepladder to take third place. Bolan also posted a 700 high series, shot 584 at Sectionals to earn a TOC slot and finished with the 19th best overall average in New Jersey at 192.

Eleni Feggulis, Junior, South River
Established herself as one of the best in the GMC and may find herself at the top in 2019. Averaged 188 overall (26th in NJ), shot 626-577 on her way to 4th in the GMC Individual, and just missed a TOC berth with a 569 set at Sectionals.

Laryssa Fiore, Senior, Colonia
Brilliant GMC season included 692 high set and ended with a 192 average, 15th in the state. Solid postseason included 570 at Sectionals, 567 at Team States and 603 at TOC, losing rolloff for final advancer spot

Veronica Lewis, Junior, Brick Memorial
Her 192 conference average (17th) featured a 711 series, while tournament highlights included 5th place at the Brick (629), 8th in the South regional (627) and a 589 set at Team States.

Jamie Paddock, Junior, Montville
Earned her way onto the all-boys Montville lineup and forged an excellent season, averaging 189 in conference play with a 713 top series.  A 588 set at Sectionals earned her a TOC berth, and she made it count, posting 623-671 to finish sixth, coming within ten pins of making the stepladder and raising her overall average to 191, 22nd in the state.

Liz Schreier, Senior, Lacey
Consistently excellent member of the Group II state champs, averaging 191 in SSB and 193 in tournaments. Placed 2nd at RWTI (621), 5th at Brick (629) 4th at Shore Team (609), shot 609 at Snowball and 589-574-579-589 in the postseason.

Madison Steinbeck, Senior, East Brunswick
One of the most improved in the state was also simply one of the best. 193 average in GMC matches (14th in NJ), and put up solid tournament results at James (583, 1st), CJWC (585) and Central Sectional (602, 8th).  Made the cut at individual TOC with a 605 set.

HONORABLE MENTION

Lacey Beall, Senior, Union
188 conference (24th), 184 overall, 6th at Union singles, 606 at Team States

Jasmine Brodowski, Junior, Jackson Liberty
177 conf, 187 tourn avg, 606 at Brick, 588 at CJWC, 6th in South sectional (641)

Amelia Brunda, Sophomore, Holy Angels
Solid 177 overall average, 2nd at FDU (631), 4th at North sectional (630), 666 at TOC to make the cut & finish 15th

Gabrielle Capalad, Junior, Leonia
184 overall avg, 189 tourney, 209 average in NJS, Bergen County champ (566), 646 at North 1A

Hannah Dalton, Sophomore, Toms River South
181 overall, 4th at Snowball (673), 5th at Shore Individual (668 qual), 7th at Team States (649)

MacKenzie Dudas, Junior, Toms River North
179 conference, 180 overall, 626 at Brick, 597 at CJWC, 590 at Snowball

Rachel Duncan, Junior, Indian Hills
182 avg, both league and overall. School record 664 high set, 8th at Sectionals (613), 585 at TOC

Christina Gonzalez, Junior, Brick Township
180 conference (42nd), 180 in tournaments, 582 at CJWC, 4th at Bayshore, 8th at Team States (649)

Trinity Gray, Senior, North Brunswick
185 overall, 197 in tournaments (15th), 556-622 at GMC Ind (5th), 7th at Sectional (605), 17 at TOC (614-549), 3rd at Team States (670).

Tori Johnson, Senior, Edison
186 GMC avg included 4 600 sets. 572 at James, 567 at Central Sectionals

Rachel Katz, Senior, Brick Memorial
185 conference avg, steady tourney bowler with 6 sets over 500 and a TOC individual slot

Autumn Laird, Senior, Lacey
182 conference avg, 181 overall, 3rd at Brick (671), 567 at Snowball, 576 at Team States

Margaux Lesser, Sophomore, Teaneck
189 conference (2nd in Big North), 185 overall, 563 at Irwin, 3rd at Bayshore, 578 at Brick, QF at NJS

Cloe Lowell, Junior, Eastern
182 average (conf & overall), 3rd place finish at CJWC (622)

Kaitlyn Lowey, Senior, Union Catholic
181 overall, 188 tournament, 2nd at Wheeler (608), 4th at Union Singles, 584 at Sectionals

Julia Muro, Senior, Lacey
181 conf & overall, 5th at RWTI (583), 3rd at South Jersey Singles, 612 at Shore Individual

Olivia Ostrander, Freshman, Warren Hills
195 tournament avg, 5th at CJWC (616), 5th at Snowball (672), 9th at North Sectional (597), 4th at TOC (689-615)

Lindsay Pepper, Junior, Ramsey
178 conference (6th in big North), 179 overall, 550 at FDU, 3rd at Bergen (603)

Michaella Raab, Freshman, Mahwah
178 conference (7th in Big North), 179 overall, 548 at Irwin, 550 at NJS, 599 at Team States

Cristy Sharkey, Junior, Brick Township
183 conference avg (33rd), 181 overall, 577 at RWTI, 401 2-gm at Woodbridge, 423 2-gm at Mustang

Livia Spalluto, Sophomore, Toms River North
181 overall, 189 tourneys, 2-gm 406 at Mustang, 581 at Brick, 603 at Shore Team (5th), 668-205 at Shore Ind. (6th)

Emma Thies, Sophomore, Jefferson
187 conference avg (26th), 186 overall. 2nd at the Falcon Frenzee (600), T1 at Morris (586)

Victoria Vucak, Senior, Paramus Catholic
183 overall, 193 tournament, 623 at Irwin, 570 at Bergen, North Sectional champ (680), 581 at TOC

Arielle Wallace, Junior, Hackensack
3rd in Big North at 187; 589 in Freedom tourney, 196 avg at North Jersey singles, 3rd round at SJS

There were at least a dozen deserving candidates for the last HM spot, and about 27 that could claim an average over 170. I apologize to those on the other side of this arbitrary line.

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