If the year ends in an odd number, there's a strong chance you'll see the Kansas Wesleyan Men's Bowling team at the NAIA Men's Bowling National Championships.
2025 will be the fourth appearance for the Coyotes at the National Championships, two of the previous three appearances coming in odd-numbered years - 2021 and 2023, the lone exception in 2018, the first year of the NAIA National Invitational.
Bowling became a National Championship sport in 2019-20, although COVID-19 canceled the Championship before it started.
The Fifth Annual National Championships will be March 20-22 at 5 Star Lanes in Sterling Heights, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
This will be KWU Head Coach Herb Halinski's first trip to the NAIA National Championship leading the Coyotes after leading the team to its second-straight Kansas Conference championship last month. This was the first season the KCAC Championship served as the qualifying tournament for the NAIA National Championships.
"How great is it playing a national title," Halinski said. "These young men have fought and worked extremely hard all year. We have seen many of the teams this year at various tournaments and all of them are very talented.
"We have a great group who are fearless. We just need to make spares. If they perform like they have the last two tournaments, with a second place and a first place finish, we have a chance," Halinski said. "First and foremost we cannot have open frames. We have been practicing spares and practicing in very difficult lane (oil) patterns to prepare. Hopefully we get off to a good start and have confidence."
The Coyotes are no stranger to adversity, having to battle back through the elimination bracket of the KCAC Championships to claim the title. After losing to Avila in the first round, KWU battled back, to face Avila again in the finals, beating them twice to claim the title.
"It was an amazing moment for the players," Halinski said of his team's run back through the bracket at the KCAC Championships. "After they lost to Avila in the first round, they never looked back or got down. They were truly on a mission with a chip in their shoulder.
"All season we got bad breaks on good shots. The tides turned for us when we faced Avila the second time. Both teams were bowling great. We caught a break in game 6 and the tide changed. In game 7 it came down to the 10th frame and Jackson made a great shot to secure the win forcing another set."
Senior Jackson Penny echoed Halinski's sentiments on persevering through the elimination bracket and battling back to the championship series.
"What this team went through at the conference tournament says everything about who we are," he said. "We had to win five straight matches in the loser's bracket against some really strong teams, and we proved to ourselves that we can compete with the best.
"When your back is against the wall, you find out what kind of team you really have-can you fight back when the momentum isn't in your favor? We did just that, coming back from a 1-3 deficit against Avila in the championship opener, winning six straight games at one point in route to taking the KCAC title. That kind of resilience gives us a huge boost heading into nationals. In a best-of-seven format, anything can happen, and I can't wait to see how we step up against the top teams in the NAIA."
While it's Halinski's first trip to the NAIA National Championships, the team has plenty of national championship experience among the squad. Three student-athletes - Jackson Penny, Landon Jones and Conner Kirby were part of the 2023 team.
"Jackson Penny, Landon Jones, and Connor Kirby all have been before so they know the basic routine," Halinski said. "The younger players have performed well all year making good shots when they need to.
Penny says familiarity with the bowling center is an advantage for him.
"The biggest thing is knowing the bowling center. Since I'm the only one on the team now who was out on the lanes in 2023, I can help guide the team to the right spots and make the necessary adjustments," he said. "Nine teams from last year's championship are back, so there's a lot of experience in the field. We're a younger team, and we might not have that same big-stage experience yet, but that's where the practice takes over. When the pressure is on, you have to trust yourself and let all the work you've put in takeover. My job is to make sure these guys live in the moment and enjoy this experience, but most importantly we must expect to win going in."
KWU joins Concordia (Mich.), Culver-Stockton, Cumberland (Tenn.), Hastings, Indiana Tech, Lawrence Tech, Marian, Milligan, Pikeville, SCAD Savannah, and St. Francis (Ill.) in the 12-team field. Nine teams were in the field last year, including defending champion SCAD Savannah.
Teams will roll six baker style games to determine seeding for the championship bracket starting at 7 a.m., Central Time on Thursday, March 20. The first round of the true double-elimination bracket play will also be played on Thursday between the lower eight seeds of the tournament.
"This team has the talent, depth, and energy to make a serious run at nationals, and I can't wait to compete at the collegiate level one last time," Penny added.