Looking for a third straight national runner-up finish, the Barton Community College women's bowling team was unable to overcome a sluggish start concluding the season with a seventh-place finish at NJCAA Championships this past weekend at the Royal Scot Golf and Bowl in Lansing, Michigan.
The Cougars concluded the three-day tournament destroying 11,211 pins falling 73 shy of sixth place Mid-Michigan Community College's 11,294 pin fall. Barton produced the sixth best cumulative doubles and singles mark destroying 4,837 pins. Maintaining the sixth place standing following Friday's five-man team game score of 2,541, Barton slipped a spot in Saturday's final day of action accumulating just 2,322 pins in the final five-man team scoring before ending the event with scores of 540, 492 and 470 in the three games of three baker blocks.
Earning the team title was Rock Valley College scoring a tournament best 13,148 edging out the two-time defending national champions Iowa Central Community College by 253 pins.
Ella Adkins edged out Taylor Cessna and Casey Feast earning the top Cougar individual placing of 34th producing a weekend score of 1,915 over 12 games rolled. Adkins top score came in the second singles game leveling 179 pins.
Taylor Cessna concluded her Barton career in 35th falling just six pins back of Adkins recording a 1,909 total over 11 games tossed. Cessna produced the highest game score on the team with a 246 in the third team game while also mending the squad's highest tournament average score of 173.56. The sophomore finished in 20th in the three game single contests scoring a 536 total.
Feast capped her first nationals' appearance with a 37th placing rolling 11 games and calculating an average pinfall of 1,874. Feast produced a pair of plus-200 games carding a 204 in the first doubles round and 201 in the final singles game.
In doubles, Cessna and Feast teamed up mounting the highest finish with a 23rd three game best score of 961. Feast led the duo with a 540 combined score with Cessna adding a 421 as the pair average a 130.3 per 10-frame score.
Ana Stanton paced Barton in the three single games finishing 15th in the 95-participant field tallying a running total of 543. The freshman produced one of three 200 rounds produced in the third game of singles with a 209 edging out Feast and Courtney Kitchen's 201's.