Dupage Policy Journal

In a tightly contested final, Marian secured its second consecutive College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Women’s Bowling Championship. The victory was clinched in a dramatic seventh and final game of the tiebreaking series against Aurora at Suburbanite Bowl in Westmont, Illinois.

This outcome mirrors last season's performance where Marian overcame elimination to defeat Aurora in a crucial match. This win marks the fourth CCIW Championship for Marian, having previously won in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

The Sabres maintained their competitive edge by defeating #2 seed Carroll with scores of 931-828 in the traditional series and narrowly edging them out 879-877 in the Baker series. This success led to a rematch with third-seeded Aurora.

In their sixth mega match of the tournament, Marian prevailed over Aurora with an 877-806 win in traditional play and an 875-742 victory in the Baker format. These results set up the decisive tiebreaking Baker series.

Aurora initially took a lead in the Best-of-Seven series, but Marian countered with three consecutive wins to gain a 3-1 advantage. Aurora fought back to level the score, leading to a tense seventh game which Marian won by a single pin, finishing 190-189.

Elana Rimer from Marian was Sunday’s top individual scorer with an average of 190.5 across four games. Emilie Pleshar led Aurora with an average of 177.7 for the day.

Before the championship match, Christine Ricci from Aurora and Delanie Vogt from Marian were honored with the Elite 26 award. This accolade is given to student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding academic and athletic achievements within each of CCIW's sponsored sports.