LANSING — The Carthage women's bowling team traveled to Lansing, Mich., over the weekend to compete in the Division III Invitational, a two-day event featuring ten schools and seventy-four total bowlers. The tournament was shortened to two days as teams from the East departed following Saturday's competition in an effort to return home ahead of an incoming winter storm.

Day One

Friday's action consisted of five Baker matches. Carthage finished the day with a record of one win and four losses. Individual highlights for the Firebirds included strong spare shooting and efficiency across the lineup. Junior Maxine Lathrop recorded a 75 percent single-pin spare rate and a 76 percent fill percentage. Freshman Kyleah Baker posted a 37.5 percent strike rate, while senior Isabel Gonzalez followed closely at 38.6 percent. Sophomore Emma Winter led the team with an 80 percent multi-pin spare conversion rate. Freshman Emmary Arciniega-Sanchez turned in an 84.6 percent single-pin spare rate with a 76 percent fill percentage. Sophomore Airie Frost added an 87.5 percent single-pin spare rate and a 40 percent strike rate, while sophomore Alicyn Klok was perfect on single-pin spares at 100 percent.

Day Two

Saturday featured four traditional games, with Carthage improving to a record of two wins and two losses on the day. Lathrop was perfect on single-pin spares at 100 percent, added a 37.2 percent strike rate and a 72.5 percent fill percentage, and rolled a high game of 217 to finish with a 172 average. Arciniega-Sanchez continued her strong weekend with an 80 percent single-pin spare rate, 100 percent multi-pin spare rate, an 83.3 percent fill percentage, a high game of 226 and a 186 average. Frost posted 100 percent on single-pin spares, 91.6 percent on multi-pin spares, a 40 percent strike rate and an 85 percent fill percentage, with a high game of 192 and a 180 average. Winter added an 83.3 percent single-pin spare rate with a high game of 190 and a 173 average. Gonzalez recorded a 35.2 percent strike rate and a high game of 197, while Klok also rolled a high game of 190.

Baker Matchplay

The day concluded with a best four-of-seven Baker matchplay series against Hilbert. Carthage swept the match in four games. Game one was decided on the final ball, as Frost delivered a strike to secure a 164-163 victory. The Firebirds followed with wins of 189-154 and 185-132. In game four, Frost struck on the first ball of the final frame before Klok added two strikes to seal a 211-203 win. Matchplay highlights included Lathrop posting a 75 percent fill rate, Arciniega-Sanchez finishing perfect on both single-pin and multi-pin spares with a 75 percent fill rate, and Winter recording 100 percent on single-pin spares, 75 percent on multi-pin spares and an 87.5 percent fill rate. Gonzalez added a 50 percent strike rate and a 75 percent fill percentage. Frost was flawless on multi-pin spares with a 54.5 percent strike rate and a 100 percent fill rate, while Klok went 100 percent on multi-pin spares with a 50 percent strike rate.

Carthage finished seventh in the team standings. Individually, Frost placed 23rd, Lathrop 13th, Arciniega-Sanchez thirty-sixth and Winter 14th. Following the invitational, Carthage and Elmhurst remained in Lansing to bowl a dual match Sunday. The Firebirds won the opening Baker match and the traditional game, while Elmhurst claimed the final Baker match. Carthage is currently on the waiting list for the Flyer Classic, scheduled for Feb. 6-8. If the Firebirds do not gain entry, their next competition will be the Viking Classic on Feb. 14-15.