2026 GIRLS BOWLING PREVIEW
 

 
CLASS 6A
 
2025 State champion: Campus
 
2025 State runner-up: Wichita Northwest
 
2025 Individual state champion: Myranda Rogers, Gardner Edgerton
 
2025 Review: No team has been more dominant in girls bowling than Campus, which had won seven Class 6A state titles in the 10-year stretch from 2015-2024. All of those crowns came under the guidance of Kenny Fulkerson, who announced his retirement following the 2024 state championship. In addition to the loss of Fulkerson, Campus also graduated the trio of McKenzie Craig, Allie Gentry and McKenzie Goupil, each of whom had been state medalists in their careers with Gentry taking fourth in 2024 and Goupil finishing 18th. So yeah, there were a few questions facing the Colts going into the 2025 season as to how they would replace such key losses. But with 12-year assistant coach Brett Marrs moving to the head coaching position and a relatively young team coming of age quickly, Campus did what Campus has done for the past decade-plus. After getting beat by Wichita Northwest for the title at the Great Plains Classic, Campus was in command from start to finish at the Class 6A state meet to capture the program’s eighth state title in the last 11 years. Boosted by top-10 finishes from Riley Emerson (third) and Angie Moser (seventh) and a third medalists in Chante Anderson (20th), Campus built a 97-pin lead on Washburn Rural and 219-pin lead on Northwest in the tenpins qualifying. Though the Colts didn’t quite perform up to their own expectations in the Baker games, their 779 series was still second-best in the Baker and more than enough to handily take the title. Campus finished with a 3,307 total to beat Northwest by 150 pins for the title with Rural slipping to third at 3,061 after posting a Baker total nearly 200 pins lower than Northwest. Emerson and Moser each posted season-best series with Emerson rolling a 685 that had her in the hunt for the individual title. She opened with a 256 game that had her tied for first with Shawnee Mission West’s Natalie Moss, 27 pins clear of their closest challengers. Emerson managed only a 194 in the second game and while Moss posted a 208, she saw Gardner Edgerton’s Myranda Rogers shoot past her into the lead as Rogers followed a 215 opening game with a 268 second game. Up 29 pins going into the third game, Rogers finished with a 213 while Moss slipped to a 141 to fall out of the top 10. Mill Valley’s Layla Gonzalez made a charge with a 235 final game, but finished with a 686 series as Rogers took the title with a 696 series. The title was a testament to Rogers’ perseverance as she injured her knee at regionals and limped, literally, into the state meet with a 10th-place regional showing after being one of the top bowlers in the state throughout the season. Her stellar, and title-deciding, second game featured eight straight strikes after an opening spare. Gonzalez’ runner-up finish helped Mill Valley to a fourth-place team finish. Emerson closed with a 233 game to place third, her second straight top-10 state showing. Northwest was led by an eighth-place showing from 2024 state champion Kalee Stockstill. Rural had a pair of individual placers on its way to a third-place showing as Elizabeth Poling placed fifth and Kenzie Lawson finished 10th. Junction City placed fifth as a team, led by a 17th from Janiyah George, while Olathe South was sixth as a team, led by a 19th from Aubrie Thomas. Blue Valley Northwest’sBailey Kinkelaar (fourth), Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Brooklyn Peck (sixth) and Manhattan’s Cortlynn Millington (ninth) rounded out the individual top 10.
 
2026 Contenders: There’s no reason to think that Campus’ dominance in Class 6A won’t continue this year. After its transition year last winter, the Colts should hit the ground running this season. All six members of last year’s state team return this year as the Colts captured last year’s title with an all-underclassman team. Senior Riley Emerson is a two-time top-10 finisher, taking third last year after a seventh-place finish as a sophomore in 2024. She also carried the state’s top average a year ago with a 214 mark. She’s got plenty of help as Campus had four bowlers finish in the top 25 for averages last year. Senior Caitlyn Clough checked in with a 190 average while junior Ella Rutter was right behind with a 188. Senior Chante Anderson had a 187 average and earned a state medal with a 20th-place finish at state. Throw in junior Angie Moser, who placed seventh at state last year and had a 178 average, and senior Paige Mashak, who had a 179 average and the Colts have more depth than any team in the state. … The only team to beat Campus a year ago, Wichita Northwest had a couple big holes to fill as it tries to keep pace with the Colts this year. Graduation claimed top bowler Kalee Stockstill, who finished eighth last year after capturing the 2024 individual state title. She had the top average on the team with a 206 that ranked as the third-best in the state overall. Also gone is Avery Schippers, who averaged a 192 last year, tied for 13th in the state. Northwest does return junior Audrie Thomas, whose 197 average was second on the team and tied for eighth in the state. Three other state participants return for the Grizzlies with junior Laci King holding a 166 average last year. … Washburn Rural was right in the mix for the state title last year until a sub-par Baker series thwarted their bid and relegated the Junior Blues to a third-place finish. Rural graduated two members of its state squad, including fifth-place finisher Elizabeth Poling. But Kenzie Lawson returns after placing 10th and if this is the year the Megan Glinka can translate her regular-season success to the postseason, Rural could challenge. Glinka carried a 191 average a year ago, ranking in the top 20 in the state for the second straight year and she won the Great Plains Classic title with a 713 series. But she missed out on a state medal for a second straight year, placing 26th last year. Senior Camrynn Ahrens returns after having a 173 average last year. … Losing only one senior off last year’s fourth-place team, Mill Valley also could make a run at Campus. The Jaguars boasted the individual state runner-up in Layla Gonzalez, who finished 10 pins behind Gardner Edgerton’s Myranda Rogers for the title. She finished the season with a team-high 186 average while fellow returning senior Abby Haney was right behind with a 178 average and took 27th at state. The Jaguars will need their supporting cast to raise their performances to have a shot as they were the only Jaguars who posted a 600 or better series a year ago. … Even with its lone state placer from a year ago graduating, Junction City has a strong core returning this year from its fifth-place team, including the team’s top-three bowlers in terms of average. Senior Angelina Castro-Tichenor led the Blue Jays with a 182 average, one ahead of junior Ava Wilson. Senior Riley Roberts was right on their heels with a 179 average. No other returner was better than a 146 average, so that trio may have to do some heavy lifting. … Olathe South only lost two to graduation as well, but one was state placer Aubrie Thomas. The Falcons return junior Giana Garcia, who led the team with a 180 average and could get a boost from Kassandra Atwater, who had a 173 average but competed in only six games. … Shawnee Mission Westreturns one of its two state placers as Audrey Abbott is back after taking 13th last year at state. She’s one of only two returning from last year’s seventh-place team, however, and the lone returner who had an average above 121. … Shawnee Mission East does return four of its six from last year’s state team but none held an average over 140. … Wichita East will be led by Kylie Train, who placed 14th at state last year, but will miss leader Bella Lumbreras, who had a 184 average last year, second to Train’s 192. … Manhattan’s Cortlynn Millington is on the short list of top contenders for the individual title after having a stellar freshman season that saw her post a 203 average that ranked fourth in the state overall. The Indians will need to develop around her to challenge as a team with no returner having an average better than 125. … Wichita Southeast narrowly missed qualifying for state as a team and only graduated one bowler off last year’s roster. Seniors Macie Sengvilay and Alana Martin each were in the 150s with their averages last year.
 
 

 
CLASS 5A
 
2025 State champion: Bishop Carroll
 
2025 State runner-up: Maize South
 
2025 Individual state champion: Callie Vargas, Salina South
 
2025 Review: To call Bishop Carroll a fixture at the Class 5A state tournament is a bit understating things given that the Golden Eagles have qualified as a team each of the 25 years the sport has been sanctioned by the KSHSAA. More often than not, the Golden Eagles also find their way to a state trophy and going into last year’s state tournament the program had come away with four state championships. Carroll was certainly on the list of top contenders for the title a year ago as well after winning its regional with a 2,915 total. But with that total well behind the 3,221 Seaman put up at its regional, the tag of title favorites actually fell on the Vikings, who had captured a state title as recently as 2022 before Great Bend won two straight crowns. But Carroll showed up as a team in a big way at the state tourney. All six Golden Eagles had counting game scores during the tenpins qualifying as Carroll built a 52-pin lead on Maize South with a 2,288 pin total. Three Eagles finished in the top 20 as twin sisters Anne and Rose Timmermeyer finished fourth and 13th, respectively, but the biggest come-through performance came from Meredith Seay, who finished 20th. Seay had started the year on varsity, but midseason struggles dropped her to the JV for the rest of the season before she earned a postseason promotion back to the varsity. She made the most of the opportunity, rolling a 541 with a 220 final game. Carroll got off to a slow start in the Baker games with a 141 that was second-lowest among the nine teams and opened the door for their challengers with Maize South trimming 13 pins off its deficit. But Carroll quickly slammed that door, posting a 184 second Baker game and finishing with a 202 that was good enough to hold off hard-charging Maize South, which closed with a 240 game. Carroll’s final total of 2,987 was 29 better than South’s 2,958, giving the Golden Eagles their fifth state championship and first since 2021. South posted its best-ever state finish and had a pair of individual state placers as Kenzie Kalb finished seventh and Ava Kohlmeier took 17th. Seaman bounced back from a slow start to finish third, led by an eighth from Claire LaDuke. The battle for the individual title was over almost immediately as Salina South’s Callie Vargas rolled a career-high 268 game to start the tourney, giving her a 44-pin lead over Maize South’s Kalb. While Vargas couldn’t quite match that total in her final two games, she turned in games of 217 and 194 that were more than enough to keep her in command. De Soto teammates Avery Lovegren and Kira Lynch each made a bit of a charge to finish 2-3. They each had three games of 200 or better with Lovegren finishing with a 647 series and Lynch finishing at 621 – season-bests for each -- both well behind Vargas’ winning total of 679. Vargas was South second individual state champion in the past three years with Rylee Lambeth winning in 2023. Lambeth figured to be in the hunt again last year, but finished sixth despite having three games of 192 or better. The duo led the Cougars to a fourth-place team finish as South posted a total of 2,814, 30 pins behind Seaman for third. St. James Academy was just two pins behind South with a 2,812 total, led by fifth-place finisher Taylor Brim, who tied with Lambeth with 602 series. Shawnee Heights, Emporia and Great Bend each had a pair of individual top 20 finishers with Heights placing sixth as a team and Emporia seventh. Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Katie Stuber and Great Bend’s Zoey Mayberry rounded out the individual top 10, placing ninth and 10th, respectively.
 
2026 Contenders: There was a slight level of disappointment in finishing third at state a year ago for Seaman, which had posted the top 5A team total during the regular season and then the highest regional total by more than 200 pins with a 3,221 total. But the Vikings didn’t see that regional performance carry over to the state tourney. After having all six state performers turn in a series of at least 591 or better and five owning series over 600, only Claire LaDuke came close to hitting that mark at state. She rolled a 582 series that while earning her an eighth-place individual finish also was nearly 100 pins off her career-best of 673. The state showing should serve as motivation for the Vikings this season and with all six bowlers back, Seaman is loaded for another run. Sophomore Leah Crawford was a regional champion and tied for second on the team with her 182 average as a freshman, tied with returning junior Paige Snyder, who was the United Kansas Conference champion as a freshman. LaDuke and Laci Cole will be the senior leaders this year with sophomore Kayla Duncan and junior Ava Carlson also back, all six returners having averages of 161 or better. … Defending champion Bishop Carroll will have to tap into its depth this year to make a run at a second straight crown and sixth overall for the program. The Golden Eagles graduated three of last year’s six state members, including twin sisters Anne and Rose Timmermeyer, who placed fourth and 13th at state last year, respectively. Also gone is Donna McClellan, who led the team with a 190 average last year. Juniors Meredith Seay, Addison Haskins and Yessenia Navarrete are the lone returners with Seay coming off a 20th-place finish after an up and down season that saw her start the season on varsity, drop to JV and then return to varsity for the postseason. Haskins carried a 180 average that tied for fourth on the team last year and Navarrete averaged 171. Four other returners from the JV had averages of 150 or better so Carroll will still be among the top contenders. … Coming off the best state showing in program history with a runner-up finish, Maize South graduated four of its six state bowlers so the Mavericks will have to reload to stay in the hunt this year. The biggest losses were state placer Ava Kohlmeier, who finished 17th, and Paige Schuler, who had the highest average on the team last year with a 188. Kenzie Kalb is back after having a career-best day at state last year with her 601 series earning her a seventh-place finish. Fellow senior Jaylee Campbell is the only other returner from the state team and only two other bowlers in the program return as well. … After taking sixth last year, Shawnee Heights very well could give United Kansas Conference rival Seaman a run for its money this year as five of the six T-Birds return from last year’s state team as well. Junior Addison Van Metre and now-graduated Jasmine Villalobos were individual state placers a year ago with Van Metre taking 15th and Villalobos finishing 16th, just one pin separating them. Van Metre’s 180 average led the T-Birds a year ago while Villalobos’ 163 average was third, sandwiching senior Reese Bell’s 167. Four other returning T-Birds had averages of 150 or higher so competition for the varsity spots will be fierce this season. … Salina South has been a strong contender in recent seasons, but goes into the 2026 season without the services of two individual state champions. Callie Vargas claimed the state title last year with a career-best 679 series while Rylee Lambeth was sixth last year, but was the 2023 state champion as a sophomore. Both have graduated leaving Addison Marshall as the top returner with the senior holding just a 135 average last year. … St. James Academy has a bonafide contender for the individual state title in Taylor Brim, who placed fifth last year after finishing as the state runner-up in 2024. She carried a team-high 171 average last year but will need some help to have the Thunder be a team title contender after taking fifth last year. Sophomore Finlee Fonseca is the only other returner off last year’s state team and had a 140 average. … The bottom three teams at the state meet a year ago, Basehor-Linwood, Emporia and Piper all could make a move up in the standings this year as each lost just one bowler off their state teams from a year ago. Emporia had a pair of state placers in Taylor McKay, who finished 11th, and Sophia Hill, who took 19th in leading the Spartans to a seventh-place team finish. McKay, a senior this year, led the Spartans with a 172 average while the next- highest average belonged to returning sophomore Brynn Heffron who had a 152 average. Emporia had five freshmen and a sophomore in the program last year. … Basehor’s only loss to graduation was Kirstin Ussery, who led the team with a 180 average. That was just ahead of younger sister Kayleigh, who averaged a 175 and was the Bobcats’ highest finisher at state, just missing a state medal with a 21st-place finish. Ellyse Findley came in with a 170 average and took 25th at state. Abby Findley and Kylie John also had averages of 140 or better. … Piper also lost its top bowler from a year ago in Cambria Anderson, who led the Pirates with a 171 average and took 12th at state. Only two returning Pirates had averages better than 140 – seniors Madison Raveill (151) and Ava Azzeh (148) – who also are the only others to have series in the 500s last year. … Eisenhower missed out on state as a team after finishing runner-up to Great Bend at the 2024 state tournament. The Tigers only had six bowlers in the program last year and three ended up qualifying for state individually and finishing in the top 31. Returning junior Jordyn Betschart was the top finisher, taking 24th after placing at state as a freshman in 2024. Classmate Aubrey Brunswig was 30th and returning sophomore Faith Pelz was 31st with Pelz leading the team with a 196 average, 17 better than Betschart’s 179 average. Returning everyone from a year ago, the Tigers could find themselves back in contention for the title this year. 
 

  
CLASS 4-1A
 
2025 State champion: Andale
 
2025 State runner-up: Chanute
 
2025 Individual state champion: Lovie Cosby, Chanute
 
2025 Review: Andale got a taste of what state was like in 2024 when an all-sophomore lineup carried the Indians to a fourth-place team finish in the program’s first-ever state appearance as a team. With that experience all back a year ago, Andale was ready for a prime-time performance and proved as much when the Indians fought off defending Class 4-1A state champion Buhler for the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail III-IV title. The Indians then went out at regionals and posted a 2,896 team score that was more than 200 pins ahead of any other regional champion and more than 200 ahead of regional runner-up Wichita Central Christian. Even placing four individuals in the top 20, things were a lot tighter for the Indians at state. Andale led by just 60 pins over Chanute after the tenpins qualifying with Buhler and Central Christian also within range. That lead immediately shrunk as Chanute opened the Baker series with a 212 game while Andale managed just a 153, cutting the deficit to just one. The margin was still only two with two Baker games left and that’s when Andale turned it on. The Indians finished with games of 173 and 170 while Chanute finished 129-137, allowing Andale to finish with a comfortable 79-pin victory, posting a total of 2,786 to Chanute’s 2,707 for the program’s first state title. Calee Walters paced the title performance with a third-place finish at 579, followed by Riley Stoll in seventh (522), Kinsey Neely in 15th (494) and Billie Jo Chaffin in 18th (491). While Chanute fell short of knocking off Andale for the team title, the Blue Comets came away with the individual state champion as freshman Lovie Cosby showed the poise of a seasoned veteran in her first state appearance to take the crown. Cosby opened with a 225 game to take a 36-pin advantage over Ottawa’s Kathy Gillett. Cosby turned up the pressure with a 2234 second game that was the tops of the tourney, stretching her lead to 67 pins and that was more than enough cushion for a 169 final game to not be the least bit costly. Cosby finished with a career-high 628 series to win by 31 pins over Gillett, who finished at 597. Hayden’s Emily Lee had stayed right in the mix, one pin behind Gillett, through two games before a 160 final game dropped her to fourth individually. Chanute also got a 12th from Mattison Morgan and 16th from Emily Cunningham. Buhler took third as a team with 2,655 total, six ahead of Central Christian for the final team trophy. The Crusaders were led by a sixth from Macy Miller, 17th from Aubrey Ewing and 19th from Brayla Johnson while Central Christian got a fifth from Kara Hornbaker and eighth from 2024 individual state champion Bella Cunningham. Gillett led Ottawa to a fifth-place team finish while Lee led Hayden to a sixth. El Dorado’s Madison Busby and Cheney’s Kylee Trego rounded out the individual top 10 in ninth and 10th, respectively.
 
2026 Contenders: With everyone back from last year’s state championship team, Andale will be the overwhelming favorite to go back-to-back this season. The Indians boast six seniors that have now led the program to two straight top-five state finishes with last year’s rise to the top producing the first state title in program history. Riley Stoll is the leader of a balanced group and took seventh at state last year with a 522 series. Her career-best series is a 615 and she led the Indians with a 170 average. Calee Walters, who took third at state a year ago, was right behind with a 165 average while Billie Jo Chaffin (157), Kinsey Neely (152) and Corin Walters (150) all had averages of 150 or better with Chaffin and Neely also individual state placers. Clara Seiler has rounded out the state roster the past two seasons. … Chanute gave Andale quite a run before a late collapse in the Baker series cost the Blue Comets a shot at the title. Only half of last year’s state roster returns, but the Blue Comets will return the 2025 individual state champion in Lovie Cosby, who ran away with the title last year as a freshman. Repeat titles have been hard to come by in state bowling, but Cosby very well could have some staying power and had a 165 average overall last year before having her career-best day at state with her title-winning 628 series. Chanute lost two seniors that averaged 149 or better a year ago but also returns senior Zoey Turner, who carried a 151 average. … Even before the split of 4-1A from 5A two years ago, Buhler was challenging for titles. The Crusaders won the first 4-1A title in 2024 and then took third last year after having to replace several key pieces from its championship team, including leader Teigan Nielsen who was third individually her senior season. Buhler graduated two seniors off last year’s state team, including state placer Brayla Johnson, but returns state placers in Macy Miller, who finished sixth, and Aubrey Ewing, who took 17th. Miller led the team in average last year as a sophomore with a 159 while Ewing, now a senior, was third with a 152. Cheyann Geesling also is back after holding a 149 average. … Wichita Central Christian has emerged as a bowling power thanks to a strong class entering their senior season this winter. Five of the eight returning have carried the way the past two seasons with Bella Cunningham capturing the 2024 individual state title before taking eighth last year and leading the Lions with a 181 average that was tops in 4-1A last year overall. Classmate Kara Hornbaker wasn’t far behind with a 172 average and placed higher at state than Cunningham, taking fifth with a 541 series, 49 pins off her season best of 590. Three other Lions had series of 513 or better to give Central Christian plenty of firepower to challenge Andale and Co. … Just as Andale returns its entire roster, so too does Ottawa, which placed fifth as a team last year. The Cyclones had the state runner-up in Kathy Gillett, who rolled a 597 series at state to finish 39 pins behind Chanute’s Cosby. She had a season-best series of 645 and matched Central Christian’s Cunningham for the top average in 4-1A with a 181. Returning juniors Abigail and Alison Huffman are the only other returners who carried an average higher than 112, each in the low 140s. … Eighth a year ago, McPherson returns all but one of its state participants from a year ago. But it’s a big loss as departed Brooke Henry was the lone Bullpup with an average higher than 104. … Hayden finished sixth as a team but graduated both state placers from a year ago in twin sisters Emily and Ashley Lee. However, 2024 placer Jenna Henkensiefken does return as does Emily Peterson as both seniors had averages in the 120s last year. … Augusta was the other team qualifier last year and lost just one off its state roster. The Orioles return their top five bowlers in terms of average last year with Kendra Grisham a returning state placer as well, taking 13th. She led the Orioles with a 148 average and had the lone 500 series for the team as well. … While Cheney graduated state medalist Kylee Trego and another individual qualifier, the Cardinals return a young team that could challenge for a state berth if that youth can take a big step forward this season. Returning junior Emily Alumbaugh was a state qualifier and had a 158 average and classmate Emilie Lyons had a 143 average. … Wichita Collegiate returns its top-four averages led by senior Caroline Kuglich while state qualifier Avery Compton also returns. … Circle finished third as a team in 2024 and returns two state qualifiers from last year’s tournament, senior Katy Flores and sophomore Allison Barkley, who ranked second and third on the team in average last year. … While Wichita Classical didn’t have a state qualifier, its returns five bowlers who averaged over 100 last year and could make a push this season.