She’ll be one of the guys on Team Peoria!

PEORIA, IL - It took a dozen years, but the gender barrier finally will be broken this year in the Bud Cup.

Kelly McBride easily qualified for the Team Peoria nonsenior squad and will be one of the 30 bowlers trying to keep the Bud Cup in Peoria for the third straight year.  Team Peoria, which leads the series 6-5, will continue its two-year run in Bud Cup XII, which takes place next Saturday at Landmark Lanes and Sunday at Sunset Lanes in Pekin.

McBride, the coach of the Robert Morris-Peoria women’s bowling team, said it will be nice bowling instead of coaching for a change. And she is looking forward to the competition.

“I’ve grown up with all of these guys, so it’s kind of cool to be bowling with them,” McBride said. “I’m having a really good year, bowling, so I decided to try qualifying for the team.”  McBride is averaging better than 220 in most of her leagues, with a high game of 289 and a few 700 sets. She has rolled a 300 and has a career-high series of 832.

McBride opened the qualifying at Sunset Lanes with a 268 game and never looked back.

“She bowled awesome,” Peoria captain Tommy Barnwell said. “I was so proud of her."

“Mike (McBride, Kelly’s brother, also on Team Peoria) looked at me immediately after the first game and tells me, ‘If she makes it, she’s my doubles partner,’ ” Barnwell said.

Bowling Lady Eagles soar into the 2011-12 National Ranks!

PEORIA, IL - In just a few years of existence, the Robert Morris University-Peoria women’s bowling team is earning some recognition at the national level.

The Lady Eagles currently are ranked 10th nationally on the list released last week on collegebowling.com.

“I am not surprised the girls are ranked as high as they are,” RMU-Peoria coach Kelly McBride said.  “They have always had the ability to be there.  Their performance this year is based on the hard work they have put into weekly practices and their willingness to work together as a team.”

Last weekend in the National Team Match Game tournament at Fairview Heights, IL RMU-Peoria finished sixth in a strong 24-team field.

They split Baker-style games against defending national champion Webber International (ranked sixth), and swept RMU-Chicago and No. 15 Davenport.

And for the first time in school history, all five starters for the Eagles placed in the top 50 individually.  Hailey Jepson led the way, finishing ninth.  Courtney Wolf was 22nd, Nicole Hartseil 31st, Kathleen Johnson 36th and Ivana Martinez 41st.

“They all have great fundamental bowling skills, and have always had the potential to do this well,” McBride said. “But this year they have really jelled together as a team and learned to play the lanes together.”

        
 
Potential student-athletes interested in opportunities for inter-collegiate bowling should contact head coach:
Head Coach: Kelly McBride
Phone: 309-397-0858
Email: kmcbride@robertmorris.edu