SSU men's bowling places five in top-25 en route to AHBA No. 4 Fort Wayne Classic Runner-Up showing

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Consistency from the men's bowling program at Shawnee State has been key all season long.

That simply carried over for the men's bowling program Saturday -- as all five bowlers who competed, including Blake Landers, Sam Clay, Jaylen Sumler, Parker Lauders and Zach Ison, finished inside the top-25 overall in a 52-bowler field at the American Heartland Bowling Association's No. 4 Event, also known as the Fort Wayne Classic, at the Pro Bowl West Lanes in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Shawnee State, who dropped 6,102 pins, finished second in the 11-team field -- beating out Vincennes (Ind.), Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), Ohio Northern, Bowling Green State, Ferris State (Mich.), Grand Valley State (Mich.), Michigan, Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) and Adrian (Mich.). The Bears joined Trine (Ind.), who nabbed 6,407 pins, as the only teams to exceed 6,000 pins on the men's side of the field.

Landers, who led the charge, collected a seventh-place finish after posting a terrific showing en route to a four-game 872. Landers posted identical 234 markers in Games 1 and 2 as well as a 235 in Game 4 to boot -- ultimately posting 218 pins on average.

Behind the sophomore, Clay, Sumler and Lauders each finished inside the top-15 overall en route to finishing 12th, 13th and 14th respectively.

Clay, who continues a fantastic senior season, bowled at least 200 or better in every game with scores of 216, 200, 232 and 200 over a four-game series -- nabbing a four-game 848 and a 212-pin average. Sumler also posted a score of 200 or better in each of his four games, collecting marks of 201, 209, 220 and 214 over his four games en route to posting a four-game 844 and a 211-pin mark.

Lauders -- who sat just two pins back of Sumler with his four-game 842 -- didn't bowl below 192 in any game, posting a series of 204, 213, 233 and 192 in all en route to a 210.5 pin showing.

Ison, a sophomore who continues to shine much like Lauders and Sumler, finished 23rd overall -- posting a massive 235 in Game 1 and a 193 in Game 2 to ultimately finish with a four-game 792.

Along with the individual performances of the quintet, the five bowlers combined to post 1,904 pins in the 10 Baker games that they participated in as a group -- firmly entrenching Shawnee State's hold on the second spot.

The Bears will bowl next on Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 -- when Shawnee State heads to Hillview Bowling Lanes in Greensburg, Pa. to participate in the Greater Pittsburgh Collegiate Classic and the Western Pennsylvania Baker Classic.