March 16, 2018
Think of the Columbia 300 Music City Classic like the running of the Kentucky Derby.
It’s a prestigious event that draws a bigger field than other events; in this case the 32 teams comprise the NCAA’s biggest tournament. Among the entries are a considerable mixture of elites primed for victory, a middle rung of solid teams unlikely to win here but more than respectable just the same and a few teams just trying to gain experience. Those who follow the thoroughbred ponies understand the analogy.
To simply say at the completion of Friday’s first day that the three highest ranked teams here were sitting first, second and third belies the patient navigation required to get through the cumbersome pack but that’s how it ended – second-ranked McKendree in first, third-ranked Arkansas State second and fourth-ranked Vanderbilt third heading into Saturday’s play.
The Commodores got off to another sputtering start, in a sense mired in the log-jam of “horses” heading around the first turn. They were ninth after their low-scoring win over unranked Felician and stayed in that spot despite slight improvement in a win over No. 8 Maryland-Eastern Shore. They picked up steam from that point and spent the rest of the day flirting with the lead.
“For whatever reason we tend to start slow,” said Coach John Williamson. “We’ve tried to change the dynamic but haven’t figured out how to get in the right space. We loosened up and bowled well, then got a little sloppy at the end but we’re in a decent spot at this point. The shot was challenging but also scoreable if you executed properly.”
Vanderbilt’s rotation began with Adel Wahner, Jordan Newham, Samantha Gainor, Kristin Quah and Maria Bulanova and with some tinkering, it ended with Katie Stark for Wahner and the others in place.
“I thought everyone had their good moments,” Williamson said. “Kristin had a good day and Maria ended well after a slow start. Katie came in and bowled well.”
Quah couldn’t quite figure the team’s flow either.
“Things felt a little different at the beginning,” she said. “It’s our home tournament, many parents and friends are here and it’s a different environment. As the day went on we got looser and gained confidence. The last game the lanes had become really dry and if you didn’t have the ball right you split.”
Gainor, one of the nation’s best freshmen, admired how her team recovered from its early sputter.
“We turned momentum around quicker than some of our past tournaments,” the Michigan product said. “We collectively decided that we couldn’t continue like we began. We executed much better as we went along, controlled the pocket better.”
Vanderbilt won all five of its games, as did four of the top five teams although the standings are based on total pin fall. Vandy’s wins came at the expense of Felician, UMES, No. 15 Central Missouri, Belmont Abbey and Alabama A & M.
Some highly regarded programs got caught up in the massive field’s “congestion” and ended the day well back of the pacesetters.
For instance, it was a tough go for No. 7 Delaware State, who won just twice and is 11th, No. 6 Stephen F. Austin in 17th place and UMES, surprisingly in 21st place. Much bowling remains and ground can be made up.
On the flip side, Lincoln Memorial was a big surprise to some with its unbeaten day and fifth place standing while Monmouth, coached by former Vanderbilt great Karen Grygiel, went 4-1 and is seventh and Maryville is eighth. It speaks to the increasing depth of talent in NCAA bowling.
Saturday’s play at the Smyrna Bowling Center starts at 9:30 a.m. Admission is free for the five traditional team games. Vanderbilt plays Arkansas State right out of the chute in a contest of Southland Bowling League powers.
