Huskers Begin New Era with Same Goal

Lincoln -- For Coach Bill Straub, the 2003-04 season ushers in an exciting era in college bowling. Last April, bowling was elevated to NCAA championship sport status, and Straub’s Huskers will have an opportunity to win the first-ever official NCAA Championship this spring.

Nebraska, which has had a club team since the mid-1980s and has been a varsity sport since 1997-98, has enjoyed great success under Straub. After winning five national titles since 1991, the veteran Husker coach would like to add the inaugural NCAA hardware to the team’s trophy case, but also understands the importance of promoting the sport to fans who are unfamiliar to college bowling.

"I think the most important thing about this first season is that the event and its champion does the best to propel women’s bowling into general recognition with the other sports the NCAA sponsors," Straub said. "We need to give as good a representation of what our skills allow as we possibly can. It doesn’t mean win at all cost, but we have to do our job to represent the university first as competently as any other sport on this campus."

The 2002-03 season, when considering five players had not seen previous collegiate bowling action at NU and the reigning world champion was red-shirting, exceeded expectations. Despite a plethora of injuries that would have decimated most teams, Nebraska took home four tournament titles and had eight top-five finishes in nine tournaments before a seventh-place showing at the IBC Championships put a damper on an otherwise successful season.

The voters in the national polls thought so much of last season’s squad that the Huskers were voted second in the country in the post-Intercollegiate Bowling Championships poll, one spot ahead of IBC Champion Central Missouri State. With seven of nine bowlers returning this fall, 2003-04 looks to be another banner year for the Big Red.

"In looking at the season, there are two ways that separate it from the norm," Straub said. "If we had no recruits for this season and only the returning players, we would have a very good team with the opportunity to be the best team in the country with diligent work and development. Conversely, if we went into the season with no returnees and only the five recruits, the situation would be the same where we would have the opportunity to be as good as any team in the country with diligent work and development.

"In my experiences with women’s college bowling, there has never been a group like these 12 student-athletes in terms of quality. Any one of the 12 would be a welcome addition to any of the 41 other NCAA schools (that sponsor bowling)," Straub said. "That is very encouraging from a top to bottom capability standpoint, but now we have to find a way to get playing time for as many people as possible so we can determine who the best six or seven bowlers are. Right now, it is a job, but it is a pleasant job to have."

Shannon Pluhowsky is the two-time U.S. Amateur Champion.

The Huskers’ top returnee is the above-mentioned reigning World Champion, Shannon Pluhowsky, who is coming off a redshirt season. The junior left-hander from Phoenix, Ariz., is already one of the most decorated bowlers in college bowling history. In her world championship year, Pluhowsky also repeated as U.S. Amateur Champion and represented the United States at the Pan American Games, where she won a gold medal in singles competition.

A two-time All-American in college bowling, she has dominated the sport like few others in recent memory, winning six tournaments and recording 14 top-five finishes in 19 career events. She was the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association Bowler of the Year in 2001 and will look to regain her place at the top of college bowling this spring. Straub is anxious to see Pluhowsky return to the Husker lineup this season.

"The toughest thing with Shannon is to try and make sure she understands even though her trophy case is getting full, she has more development ahead as a player," Straub said. "Right now, we are working on getting her to become the best player she can be, and hopefully more awards will come with it."

The only senior on the 2003-04 roster, Christina Perez (San Diego, Calif.) was one of the Huskers’ most consistent bowlers last spring, her first year as a primary starter. One of two bowlers who remain from NU’s last national championship team in 2001, Perez averaged a 185.97 in 60 games - after bowling just 64 games in her first two years in the program - and posted four top-25 finishes a year ago. Her best showing came at the Team Match Games, where she finished seventh with a career-high average of 211.11.

"Last year, Christina played throughout the season and gained a lot of experience," Straub said. "She has really worked to develop her game, and there is reason to expect her to do very well this year."

A transfer from the University of Florida, junior Melissa Stewart was a pleasant surprise in her first season as a Husker. The Fort Pierce, Fla., native bowled in every tournament and averaged a 194 in a team-high 69 games. Her season average was second on the team and 42nd nationally. Stewart had four top-10 showings, including a runner-up finish at the Brunswick Coca-Cola Classic and a third-place showing at regionals, and finished in the top 25 in all but one tournament. She also excelled in the classroom, earning NCBCA Academic All-America honors in 2003.

"Melissa stepping in as she did last year was something that was needed to make the team be as stable and successful as we were," Straub said. "As hard as she has worked lately, she is trying to take that to the next level. She fully anticipates being a valuable member and helping the team succeed."

One of the benefits of last season’s rash of injuries was that Straub was able to give a talented freshman class of Nicole Aleo (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Karla Engh (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Jamie Martin (Omaha, Neb.) and Jennifer Schultz (Portland, Ore.) extensive playing time last spring. All four made major contributions throughout the year, and Straub expects the dividends to be reaped this year.

Nebraska's incoming class of Patience Price, Mindy Pancoast, Adrienne Miller, Alice Foley and Amanda Burgoyne is considered to be one of the top classes in school history.

Aleo bowled in six tournaments, primarily in a reserve role, and averaged a 183.68 over 25 games. She bowled in three or more games on five occasions, including a career-high average of 200.75 over four games at the Leatherneck Classic. Aleo made great strides during the year, and turned in her best performance during regionals, setting career highs in pinfall (1,687) and games (nine) en route to a 16th-place showing.

Engh appeared in six tournaments and averaged a 183.605 in 38 games, but was hampered by tendinitis during the second half of the season. Before the injury, she was in the starting lineup for the first three tournaments, where she posted three straight top-30 finishes, including a 16th-place showing at the Mid-States Invitational with an average of 185.31. She also competed at the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2003 and reached the round of 32 before placing 28th nationally. Straub is looking to see what a fully healthy Engh can do in 2003-04.

Martin took advantage of the injuries and became a valuable contributor late in the season, averaging a 187.03 in 32 games. Her best performance of the year came at regionals, where she averaged a season-high 197.68 en route to a sixth-place finish. After joining the team in time for the second semester, Schultz’s arrival gave the Huskers much-needed depth late in the year. She bowled in three tournaments, including the regional where she placed 20th with an average of 183.89.

In addition to the returnees, Straub has high hopes for a talented incoming class of Amanda Burgoyne (Newport, Minn.), Alice Foley (Scranton, Pa.), Adrienne Miller (Albuquerque, N.M.), Mindy Pancoast (Newport News, Va.) and Patience Price (Lakeland, Fla.), a group he calls the most talented class he has brought on campus. Each of the five newcomers comes into the program with glistening credentials, highlighted by Burgoyne, a member of the U.S. Junior National team, while Foley and Miller were chosen as the top high school bowlers in Pennsylvania and New Mexico, respectively.

The Huskers open the 2003-04 season with a flourish, traveling over five consecutive weekends beginning with the Brunswick Southern Classic on Nov. 1-2. The fall portion of the schedule is highlighted by the National Team Match Games in St. Louis over Thanksgiving weekend. After a five-week break, the spring semester begins in mid-January at the Southern Varsity Classic in Baton Rouge, La., and runs through mid-February. The season culminates with the first-ever NCAA Championships, April 8-10 - an eight-team, double-elimination format over three days.