Mustangs Win Heart Championship; Dominate All-Conference and Postseason Awards

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mustang men's bowling team secured their first Heart of America conference championship over the weekend, dominating the all-conference teams and postseason awards in the process.

In tournament play, the Mustangs took care of business against Central Methodist in the first round to advance in the winners bracket. It was then a matchup with new Heart member Missouri Baptist, where the Mustangs would advance to the finals of the winners bracket against Baker, taking down the Wildcats to advance to the championship match. Baker would defeat William Penn in the losers bracket finals to set up a rematch with the Mustangs, where the Mustangs would earn their first conference title.

The team success wasn't the only achievement the team would earn this past weekend, as plenty of Mustangs found themselves on the all-conference team. The first team comprised of reigning USBC ISC champion Blake Walsh, Zach Andresen, Jacob Bockstie, and Keegan Alexander. Keaton Ostrowski and Robert Vater also earned all-conference honors, landing on the second team.

Walsh was named the Heart of America Men's Bowler of the Year, while Bockstie earned the Heart of America men's bowling Rookie of the Year. The awards didn't stop there, as assistant coach Cassidy Courey was named the Heart Men's Coach of the Year.

The Mustagns will look to carry the success into the postseason, starting up the USBC ITC and ISC sectionals on March 6.