Two Shockers Shoot 300 in WSU Sweep of Blue and Gold Classic
02/06/10
Wichita State University Shocker seniors Josh Blanchard (left, Upland, Calif.) and John Szczerbinski (right, North Tonawanda, N.Y.) achieved perfection last weekend at the Blue and Gold Classic in South Bend, Ind. as they both shot 300 during tournament play. In his second game of the tournament, Szczerbinski shot his perfect game and Blanchard immediately followed him with a 300 of his own in the third game.
This was the first time in Shocker history that two players had shot 300 in the same tournament and the first time since Chris Greene in 2004. Szczerbinski and Blanchard became the fifteen and sixteenth males to shoot 300 games in Shocker history. Although 300's are rare, it has become old hat for these two as Blanchard holds an astounding 29 and Szczerbinski has 11 games of perfection.
In addition to their 300's both Blanchard and Szczerbinski were named to the All Tournament Team with Szczerbinski being named the MVP with a 1,234 five game series. Blanchard finished third with a 1,161 series.
On the women's side senior Rocio Restrepo (left, Ibaque, Colombia) and freshman Jazreel Tan (right, Singapore) finished second and third with a series of 1,005 and 992 respectively.
"Five years between 300 games shows how tough perfection is on these difficult collegiate lane conditions. To have two of our players both shoot 300, in the same tournament, in back-to-back games, is remarkable," said Shocker Head Coach Gordon Vadakin.
Not to be outdone by individual perfection was the team perfection as the Shocker men and women swept the highly competitive Tier I Blue and Gold Classic. The men dominated the five team games and shooting 5,593 for the block to take an early lead of more than 300 pins. The Shocker men continued their dominance over the five baker game blocks to win the tournament with a 9,739 total pinfall; 313 pins ahead of second place Calumet College.
The Lady Shockers also led after the team game portion but only by a mere 23 pins with Central Florida close behind. However, the women came together as a team with a strong showing in the Baker portion of competition to win by 258 pins to complete the Shocker sweep.
"This was a good win for us. Both teams are showing some improvement", said Vadakin. (pictured left)Â "Our women's performance in Baker game competition on the final day is a good sign for us, and the men's first day showing gives us a glimpse of what this team is capable of at times. What both teams are building towards is that great start-to-finish performance in an entire event"
After one of their most successful tournaments of the season, the Shockers will look to continue that momentum at their final regular season tournament of the season with a stop at the Tier I Hoosier Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. Feb. 20-21.
USBC Collegiate
Wichita State University Shocker seniors Josh Blanchard (left, Upland, Calif.) and John Szczerbinski (right, North Tonawanda, N.Y.) achieved perfection last weekend at the Blue and Gold Classic in South Bend, Ind. as they both shot 300 during tournament play. In his second game of the tournament, Szczerbinski shot his perfect game and Blanchard immediately followed him with a 300 of his own in the third game.This was the first time in Shocker history that two players had shot 300 in the same tournament and the first time since Chris Greene in 2004. Szczerbinski and Blanchard became the fifteen and sixteenth males to shoot 300 games in Shocker history. Although 300's are rare, it has become old hat for these two as Blanchard holds an astounding 29 and Szczerbinski has 11 games of perfection.
In addition to their 300's both Blanchard and Szczerbinski were named to the All Tournament Team with Szczerbinski being named the MVP with a 1,234 five game series. Blanchard finished third with a 1,161 series.
On the women's side senior Rocio Restrepo (left, Ibaque, Colombia) and freshman Jazreel Tan (right, Singapore) finished second and third with a series of 1,005 and 992 respectively. "Five years between 300 games shows how tough perfection is on these difficult collegiate lane conditions. To have two of our players both shoot 300, in the same tournament, in back-to-back games, is remarkable," said Shocker Head Coach Gordon Vadakin.
Not to be outdone by individual perfection was the team perfection as the Shocker men and women swept the highly competitive Tier I Blue and Gold Classic. The men dominated the five team games and shooting 5,593 for the block to take an early lead of more than 300 pins. The Shocker men continued their dominance over the five baker game blocks to win the tournament with a 9,739 total pinfall; 313 pins ahead of second place Calumet College.
The Lady Shockers also led after the team game portion but only by a mere 23 pins with Central Florida close behind. However, the women came together as a team with a strong showing in the Baker portion of competition to win by 258 pins to complete the Shocker sweep.
"This was a good win for us. Both teams are showing some improvement", said Vadakin. (pictured left)Â "Our women's performance in Baker game competition on the final day is a good sign for us, and the men's first day showing gives us a glimpse of what this team is capable of at times. What both teams are building towards is that great start-to-finish performance in an entire event" After one of their most successful tournaments of the season, the Shockers will look to continue that momentum at their final regular season tournament of the season with a stop at the Tier I Hoosier Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. Feb. 20-21.
Â