Wichita State Shockers: Exempt Team Members announced for 2012-2013 season

The Wichita State Shocker Bowling coaching staff has selected six men and seven women to be placed directly on the 2012-2013 selected team for the upcoming intercollegiate season.

The Shocker women's team will enjoy the skills of a core group of five returning selected team members from this past season's team. The Lady Shockers won five major tournaments and finished the year with a fifth place finish at the Intercollegiate Team Championships in Lincoln, Neb. Two incoming freshmen women have also been granted an exemption for next season.

The five returning team members who have been selected as exempt players include: Holly Harris (Long Prairie, Minn.), Allie Ijams (Mission Viejo, Calif.), Kelsey Muther (Topeka, Kan.), Tannya Roumimper (Bandung, Indonesia) and Jazreel Tan (Singapore).

The two freshmen women who earned exemptions are Zatil Iman (Malaysia) and Ukrainian Daria Kovalova (Moscow, Russia).

Each of these team members has found success throughout their bowling career.

Holly Harris (pictured left) is a junior majoring in mathematics. She is currently a member of Junior Team USA and recently completed a week of training at USBC's International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas.

Allie Ijams is also a junior and is pursuing a degree in secondary education. She is a former Player of the Year in the highly competitive Southwest Junior Bowler's Tour, along with a 300 game and 805 three-game series to her credit.

Junior Kelsey Muther (right), who is majoring in nursing, is a current member on Junior Team USA who was recently selected, along with three other Team USA teammates, to represent the United States in the World Youth Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, next month.

Tannya Roumimper (left), a junior pursuing a communication degree, is a multi-year national team member for her home country of Indonesia. She has six 300 games to her credit and has won gold medals in numerous international competitions.

Jazreel Tan (right) is a senior in the sport management program at WSU. She is also a national team member for her country of Singapore. Tan has distinguished herself in her first three seasons with the Shockers by earning National Rookie of the Year honors in her freshman year, and then capturing the National Collegiate Bowler of the Year for the past two college bowling seasons.

Freshman Zatil Iman (left) of Malaysia, will pursue a degree in sport management in the fall. She is a member of Malaysia's elite adult team. Iman has distinguished herself through numerous accomplishments in international tournament competitions.

Freshman Daria Kovalova of Moscow, Russia, will also major in sport management. Kovalova competes for her home country of Ukraine and has won gold medals in the past two years at the European Youth Championships.

"We are certainly very excited for both our women and men's teams for the coming season," Head Coach Gordon Vadakin (left) said.

"As always, we look forward to not only welcoming these student-athletes back to campus, but also using our annual tryout process to select the rest of our selected team and our entire developmental team for 2012-2013."

The 2012-2013 Shocker men's team will have four returning selected team members. These players helped the Shockers finish second in the nation at the 2012 Intercollegiate Team Championships in Lincoln, Neb., this year. In addition to these players, two incoming freshmen have also been granted exemptions for the 2012-2013 season.

The returning players who have received exemptions include: Marcus Berndt (Malmo, Sweden), Devin Bidwell (Moorpark, Calif.), Francois Lavoie (Quebec City, Canada) and Miguel Lopez (Peoria, Ariz.). The two freshmen who have earned an exempt status are A.J. Chapman (Manchester, Iowa) and Zach Rhoades (Lafayette, Ind.).

These players have distinguished themselves throughout their bowling careers.

Marcus Berndt (left), a senior in psychology, is a former member of Sweden's youth team. He has also been a two-time All-American in the past two seasons of his collegiate career.

Junior Devin Bidwell (right), who is majoring in graphic design, is a two-time silver medalist at the World Youth Championships, in which he bowled for Junior Team USA. Bidwell has also rolled an astounding 45 perfect games.

Francois Lavoie (left), a sophomore majoring in business, recently made Canada's 2013 youth team and adult team. Lavoie also medaled in the singles event at the 2010 World Youth Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Senior Miguel Lopez, who is pursuing a degree in business management, was one of Shocker bowling's top players in the 2011-2012 season. He has had a terrific record in both youth and elite-level amateur tournaments.

A.J. Chapman, an incoming freshman, will pursue a degree in sport management in the fall. Chapman is a current member of Junior Team USA and has recently completed a week of training at USBC's International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas.

Freshman Zach Rhoades of Lafayette, Ind., will begin his collegiate career as an aerospace engineering major. Rhoades has successfully competed in numerous state, regional and national tournaments.

Although the exact team size can change, additional men and women will complete the tryout process to compete for the remaining spots on the selected team. In addition to this team, around six to 12 additional men and women will also be named to the 2012-2013 Shocker developmental team.