Island Trees girls bowling team enjoys its time at state championship
Kaitlyn Lesica of Island Trees competes at the state girls bowling team championships at Strike 'N Spare Lanes on Friday in Syracuse. Credit: Ben Cleeton
SYRACUSE — The Island Trees girls bowling team knew it would face an uphill climb at the state girls bowling team championship, but just making an appearance felt like a success.
Island Trees finished 10th in the state Division II championship at Strike ‘N’ Spare Lanes on Friday. Depew (Section VI) overcame a 73-pin deficit in the final game to win the title.
“It’s such a great experience to be able to get up here for the first time, especially as a senior,” Alyana Genao said. “It was a lot of fun being here with people that I’ve become such good friends with."
Island Trees had its strongest total of the day with 721 pins in Game 3. Kaitlyn Lesica rolled a 227 in Game 3, Emma Figueroa shot a 144 and Genao rolled a 127.
“Coming up here, we knew we were going to face some really good competition,” Island Trees coach Brian Higgins said. “I told them the number one rule here would be to have fun. If you throw a bad ball, just immediately shift focus to the next ball and keep encouraging each other.”
Krisha Mehta shot a 126 in Game 4 and Alexis Rivinius had a 122.
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bowl, but I’m glad I did,” Mehta said. “I’ve had a great time with everyone and I’m really going to miss the seniors.
Danica Lamberti rolled a 157 in Game 1 as Island Trees totaled 676 pins to open the event.
“I originally started bowling so I could be a three-sport athlete, but I’ve had a great time and made so many new friends,” Lamberti said. “I’m so grateful I made this decision and that we were the first in our school to compete here.”
Island Trees earned the school’s first trip to the state championship with a county championship win, besting four-time defending champion Seaford by 53 pins. The Bulldogs averaged 526 pins per match this season, the second-best total for a Division II team and the 11th-best overall.
“We started the season slow, but we just kept building on from there,” Higgins said. “We hit our stride at the right time and that’s a credit to the girls on the team. I had some seniors who really stepped up and of course, Kaitlyn Lesica has been our anchor.”
Lesica, a freshman, finished with a 180.25 average this season, the sixth best in Nassau. Mehta and Rivinius are both freshmen, while Figueroa, Genoa and Lamberti are seniors.
“Coming in, we were just trying to have the best time we could,” Lesica said. “We weren’t stressing about what we just bowled. The focus was really on having fun in what would be the last time this group bowls together.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
