INDIANAPOLIS — The Carthage College women's bowling team competed at the Western Shootout this past weekend at Royal Pin Western Bowl, taking on a competitive field that featured 28 varsity and seven JV programs.

After the opening day of traditional games, the Varsity Firebirds stood in 13th place, while the all-freshman JV squad finished day one in sixth. Standout performances included freshman Emmary Arciniega-Sanchez, who averaged 167.3 over six games with a high of 186, and freshman Torin Deacon, who averaged 183.4 across five games with a high of 200. Sophomore Airie Frost posted a 185.3 average through six games with a high of 209, and sophomore Emma Winter led the team with a 186 average and a high game of 244.

Day two featured Baker-style competition on a longer oil pattern, testing the team's adaptability. The Varsity Firebirds closed in 19th place overall, while the JV team maintained its 6th-place standing. Several bowlers showed notable improvements on day two, including freshman Jocelyn Garcia-Cruz, who raised her single-pin spare percentage from 23% to 75%. Arciniega-Sanchez was perfect on single-pin spares, and freshman Kyleah Baker improved across multiple areas — single-pin spares (40% to 77%), multi-pin spares (44% to 75%), strikes (19% to 39%), and fill percentage (50% to 78%). Frost and Winter both hit 100% on single-pin spares Sunday, while junior Maxine Lathrop finished the weekend at 91.2% in single-pin conversions.

Overall, it was a valuable weekend of growth for the Firebirds, as all 11 student-athletes gained experience competing in a large tournament setting and adapting to multiple oil patterns.

Carthage returns to action at the Windy City Classic, set for Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 at River Rand Bowl in Des Plaines, Illinois.