FRISCO, Texas — Vanderbilt’s Maria Bulanova and Samantha Gainor have been named to the Southland Bowling League’s All-Conference first team while teammates Adel Wahner and Jordan Newham were also honored for their play during the 2018-19 season.
Bulanova had been announced as the SBL’s Player of the Year prior to the conference tournament following a dominating season in which she made five all-tournament teams, earning most valuable player honors at the Prairie View Invitational and the Columbia 300 Music City Classic. Her clutch play from her anchor position helped propel Vanderbilt to three consecutive tournament victories and a school-record tying five tourney wins on the season. She led the SBL in many statistical categories including individual scoring (21.91/frame).
Gainor came on strong as the year progressed, making five all-tournament teams and jumping into the upper echelons of many NCAA statistical categories. Her consistent play ahead of Bulanova in the rotation gave Vanderbilt one of the strongest finishing pairs in collegiate bowling.
Wahner was named to the SBL’s second team, a conference that sports four of the nation’s top six ranked teams. The New Mexico native was also known for her steady play, leading the nation in filled frame percentage at 89 percent.
Newham was named to the honorable mention unit and has been a mainstay for the Commodores throughout her four-year career. Her season was highlighted by a third-place finish at the Kutztown Invitational when she averaged 235, fifth-best in program history.
The complete SBL first team consisted of Bulanova, Gainor, Dakotah Hazelwood of Stephen F. Austin, Bea Hernandez of Sam Houston State and Kaitlyn Eder of Louisiana Tech.
2019 Southland Bowling League All-Conference First Team
Name | School | Cl. | Hometown |
Maria Bulanova | Vanderbilt | Jr. | Moscow, Russia |
Samantha Gainor | Vanderbilt | So. | Chesterfield, Mich. |
Dakotah Hazlewood | Stephen F. Austin | Sr. | Capron, Ill. |
Bea Hernandez | Sam Houston State | Fr. | Bambang Pasig City, Philippines |
Kaitlyn Eder | Louisiana Tech | So. | Lithia, Fla. |
Second Team
Name | School | Cl. | Hometown |
Julia Huren | Arkansas State | Jr. | Westland, Mich. |
Denisyha Waller | Arkansas State | Sr. | Markham, Ill. |
Adel Wahner | Vanderbilt | Jr. | Las Cruces, N.M. |
Leah Glazer | Arkansas State | So. | Henderson, Nev. |
Tiera Gulum | Tulane | Sr. | Schenectady, N.Y. |
Honorable Mention
Name | School | Cl. | Hometown |
Paige Beeney | Stephen F. Austin | Sr. | Salado, Texas |
Madysen Keller | Sam Houston State | Sr. | Mathews, N.C. |
Taylor Davis | Arkansas State | So. | Davison, Mich. |
Sarah Gill | Stephen F. Austin | Sr. | Texarkana, Texas |
Jordan Newham | Vanderbilt | Sr. | Aurora, Ill. |
Madison McCall | Tulane | So. | Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
Carlene Beyer | Stephen F. Austin | Fr. | Ogdensburg, Wis. |
Katelyn Dickerson | Sam Houston State | Jr. | Painesville, Ohio |
Hayley Connelly | Sam Houston State | So. | Hazlet, N.J. |
Nikki Mendez | Youngstown State | Jr. | Homer Glen, Ill. |