Morehead State University - Raconteur Yearbook (Morehead, KY)

Page 127 text:

Owen hopes to get a national championship under her belt Approached by the MSUbowling coach when she was only a freshman in high . . . school, Owen had no idea the awards in store for her. She is proudest ofbeing thlS y?ar or neXt. After graduatlon She WOUId hke to do some- named an All-American Bowler, the first ever from our University. PHOTO thing in the field ofbowling, whether it is owning her own ally By; 1317 Colquhoun or going on the womenls professional tour. iiCollege bowling is very excitingfl Owen reflected seri- ously. iiIfI had to go it all over again, I donlt think I would change a thing. . - By: Karen Craigo Sharon Owen 123

Page 126 text:

Bowling for more than dollars When Sharon Owen was approached by bowling CuaCh Larry Wilson during her freshman year of High school, she could hardly have guessed what was in store for her in her years to come with the University 5 Bowling Club In just three years Owen has racked up several awards and honors. She has participated 1n individual national competi- tion with other members of the University Bowling Club. During the 1987-88 season she won all-events trophies at the Atlantic City, NJ and Savannah, GA tournaments. She earned a tournament average of 216. She came in third place in the Dayton Ohio tournament. Owenis most prestigious honor is the Bowler of the Year National Award, which she has held for two years. The award itself has only been in existence for three years. Of the six menis and womenis winners, five have been from our University. Karen Coombs, alumna from Toledo Ohio, was the only woman to capture the title, and Andy Parker and Scott Johnson have both held the menis title. At the end of February the team fin- ished first in the Association of College Unions-International Region 5 competi- tion in Nashville, Tennessee. Owen qualified for the finals in Reno, Nevada, with a womenis game high of 277. She also captured the all-events trophy. The Southern Intercollegiate Bowling Conference champion started bowling at an early age. 81 started bowling when I was about five. In my first league my average score was about 20, Owen remarked. iiI've raised it gradually year by year, and this year I bowled my highest in Savannah? Owen is known by the nickname iiAni- mal to her friends and teammates. iiMy freshman year I was beating a lot of the guys, she laughed I believe Andy Parker, men 5 team cap- tain, started the name as ajoke, but it stuck! Owen was discovered while bowling for her Bowling Green High School team as a freshman. iiCoach Wilson sent me a letter telling me he was interested in having me on the team. I was really excited that someone wanted me to bowl for them. I was planning on going to Western, but then Coach Wilson called and told me what kind of financial aid he could offer me, based on academics, she said. Maintaining a strict 3.9 grade point average, Owen, a busi- ness management major, has been on the deanis list every semester she has been here. Even with all of her other honors, Owenis proudest accom- plishment is being named an All-American Bowler the first ever from our University. Last year she was ranked third in the country. Sports Feature 122 i L ?Animal by her friends and teammates, Shara Owen had held the Bdwler of the Year Nation- at Award for two years The award itself has only been , in existence for three years. PHOTO BY: Jef Colqu- how Owen is also proud ofher team accomplishments. By March the Womenis team was ranked sixth in all polls nationally. In the Atlantic City Invitational the womenis team beat the first and second ranked teams. iiWe have to win sectionals to go to nationals in Denver. I feel confident that we will, she said. 81 know we can win if things work out for us. Last year we participated in nationals in Omaha. The women finished about ninth in the nationals and ended up being ranked fifth nationally. Owen called nationals, high-pressure, but a lot of fun. Once you get to nationals, anyone can win,,, she said. Money, according to Owen, is a big motivating force to do well as a team. iiOther schools donit know what it is to have to scrape money together j ust to go to competition, she said. Since the bowlers are considered a club sport rather than a team, they get funding from the University. There- fore they must get all of their money through their own fundraising. uThe club status bothers me, Owen declared. I feel anyone can bowl, but to be good you have to have ' talent and work hard. Bowling is physical, like football or basketball, but a lot ofit is also mental. You must concentrate in any sport. Owen went on to say that the bowl- ing club has given the University a name among people who normally would never have heard ofit. Because of this, she wishes the club had more support from the college. iiIt wouldnit take much to finance the team, she said. uIt is really hard to put so much work into it and still be considered just a club. In addition to all the work, a great deal of time is invested in the sport. Owen has not been home for Thanksgiving in three years because of the St. Louis tournament, but says being away gets easier every year. Traveling is pretty fun? she said. iiYou get to go to a lot of new places. The scenery is nice, and you meet new people. Almost everywhere I go someone makes fun of my accent, thoughlii she joked. Owen has been around bowling all of her life since her mother is the manager of a bowling ally. Her brother is also an excellent bowler, who at one time considered going on a professional bowlers tour. In addition to bowling, Owen played basketball and softball in high school. The future looks bright for Owen, who plans to get married in the summer to Steve Todd, a member of the menis bowling team. They intend to live in married student housing and continue their educations.

Page 128 text:

All-conference team member, JeffCoHier from Partridge, finished third in the OVC conference and received an OVC scholarship. PHOTO BY: Orville Lyttle A close helping environment is provided by Coach Dan Linsey kenter to cross-country team mates, junior, Freida Moore from Olive Hill and Lynn Rutsch, from Sparta NJ. PHOTO BY.- Oruille Lyttle