Urbana High School senior Daniel Evilsizor bowled a 709 to win the boys Division II Dayton sectional championship last week. That’s pretty good considering teammate Luc Russell (702) was the only other bowler in the Southwest District to crack 700.
Well, for the boys anyway.
Greeneview junior Hannah McGrew outrolled them all.
Though she won’t say it, McGrew established herself as the bowler to beat at today’s D-II district championship meet by bowling a 738 at last week’s sectional. To put that in perspective, McGrew beat runner-up Alyx Kearney of Kenton Ridge by 62 pins. She topped Evilsizor’s score by 29 pins. No bowler in the Cincinnati sectional, boys or girls, topped 700.
“I don’t like to say that,” McGrew said of being considered the top seed at sectionals. “From what everybody tells me, but I don’t like to say that or be cocky about that.”
The boys and girls D-II district meet is today starting at 9 a.m. at Beaver-Vu Lanes in Beavercreek. The top four teams and top four individuals advance to state. With Greeneview not having enough girls for a team, McGrew’s bid for a state appearance is all on her.
She missed state by about 70 pins last season.
“It’s been my goal since my freshman year,” McGrew said. “My goal (today) is just to make it to state.”
By comparison, Cincinnati’s sectional champion (Hamilton Badin senior Darian Arminio) bowled a 566.
“If we can get lined up and she has the same feel for the ball and the lanes, I would think she can do very well,” Greeneview coach Chuck Frazier said. “She’s always a winner. There will be a lot of nerves, but if I can get her calmed down quick enough and she can bowl her game there’s no reason she can’t do as well.”
McGrew agrees. She said she bowled at Beaver-Vu two weeks ago and finished with a three-game total of 680.
“I had my shot all day and nobody was playing my line,” McGrew said of her sectional success. “I figured out the lanes in practice. I thought it was a good day but I wasn’t surprised by it. I just kind of went out there and bowled.”
Colleges are hoping she does the same for them. Wright State and Urbana made first contact and Ohio State has since joined them. The Raiders could have the advantage. McGrew credits her success to working with coach Rob Dever, who is also WSU’s assistant coach. Mentor Bruce Ludwig and family friend Russ Fortner have also helped McGrew’s game.
“She has everything it takes to make up a good bowler,” Frazier said. “She has a lot of talent.”
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