WICHITA – Smiling on the outside but nervous on the inside, Andover Central freshman Addison Crumley took Class 5A girls bowling state tournament spectators on a thrill ride Thursday.
 
Crumley, competing as the Jaguars’ lone individual qualifier, found her groove early with a 248 in the opener of her three-game tenpin series at Bowlero Northrock.
 
Then the real fun began for the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II champion. Crumley took a perfect game into the 10^th frame of the second game, carrying over a streak of strikes that reached 18 before she stranded the 7-pin with her second ball of the final frame.
 
Crumley’s 288 gave her enough of a cushion to withstand a harrowing stretch of three consecutive open frames in her final game. She finished with a season-best 718 series and won the 5A individual title by 13 pins over runner-up Emma Lourentzos of Lansing.
 
“There was just a lot of emotions going through my body,” said Crumley, who became Andover Central’s second girls state champion, joining Jadyn Burr, who won the 5-1A title in 2020. “I was so shaky and nervous during the second game because I was obviously going for the 300.
 
“And then the lane started drying out and my ball started hooking too much. I tried a couple ball changes and they just didn’t go very well.”
 

Crumley understands the troubleshooting aspect of bowling, in part to the household where she has been raised. Her parents, Justin and Krystal, bowled at Newman University, where Justin currently serves as an assistant coach. Crumley’s older sister, Paighton, a two-time state medalist at Andover Central, now bowls for Newman as well.
 
That part of her support group wasn’t in the Northrock crowd Thursday, as Newman is competing in Vanderbilt’s Music City Classic this weekend outside of Nashville, Tenn. But with her grandparents in the stands and Jaguars coach Roxana Smith and the state-qualifying Andover Central boys team nearby, Crumley found some answers in time.
 
After open frames in the sixth through eighth of her final game, Crumley closed with two strikes and a spare for a 182 and the 718 series that set the benchmark for others to chase.
 
“I finally figured out I should just move left and it helped me push through to that (182),” Crumley said. “So that helped a lot.”
 
Lourentzos, a sophomore who finished 14^th last year in her state debut, put together the best series of her high school career to finish second. Competing with her Lions teammates for the team title after qualifying individually as a freshman, Lourentzos grabbed the early lead with a career-best 268 opening game.
 
“I was ecstatic,” Lourentzos said of her performance. “Bowling my first 700 at state surrounded by my team was just special.
 
“The first game is when I started feeling it when I strung together all those strikes. I was like, ‘I’ve just got to keep this up, keep the energy up and I’ll be fine.’”
 

After Crumley’s brief struggle led to her low game in the finale, Lourentzos had a chance to catch her with two frames to bowl. Entering the final frame, she could have matched Crumley’s 718 with three strikes.
 
But after striking with her first ball, Lourentzos left three pins on her second attempt, then converted the spare for a 705 series.
 
“I did get told where I was standing after the second game,” Lourentzos said. “It might have psyched me out a little bit, but I was able to finish strong.”
 
Bowling alongside De Soto junior Avery Lovegren, last year’s 5A runner-up and this year’s Topeka regional champion, Crumley displayed the moxie to finish the title quest. Entering state with the 11^th best average in 5A at 186 – just behind Lourentzos’ 187 – Crumley shot the eighth-best series among girls in all classes this season.
 
“It was fun and a little nerve wracking, especially going into the third game because I knew I had to do well,” Crumley said. “It was just a fun experience and I’m glad I got to live it.”
 

Seaman senior Claire LaDuke, who led the Vikings to the team title, finished third individually with a 688 series. Lovegren was fourth at 667 and LaDuke’s teammate, sophomore Leah Crawford, was fifth at 655.
 
Crumley’s title came one year after Paxton McLeod led Andover Central to its first state boys title by becoming the Jaguars’ first boys champion. After her victory, her first correspondence was with her parents.
 
“They just said how proud they were and they wish they were here,” Crumley said.


CLASS 5A GIRLS INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
 
1. Addison Crumley, Andover Central, 718; 2. Emma Lourentzos, Lansing, 705; 3. Claire LaDuke, Seaman, 688; 4. Avery Lovegren, De Soto, 667; 5. Leah Crawford, Seaman, 655; 6. Kaitlyn Newell, Eisenhower, 603; 7. Zoey Mayberry, Great Bend, 594; 8. Paige Snyder, Seaman, 588; 9. Sophia Hill, Emporia, 582; 10. Yessenia Navarrete, Bishop Carroll, 571; 11. Kiley Thornquist, Maize South, 570; 12. Faith Pelz, Eisenhower, 565; 13. Taylor Brim, St. James Academy, 561; 14. Reese Bell, Shawnee Heights, 560; 15. Addison Van Metre, Shawnee Heights, 558; 16. Ava Carlson, Seaman, 552; 17. Amelia Lowery, Emporia, 541; 18. Kayleigh Ussery, Basehor-Linwood, 535; 19. Cierra Martin, Turner, 532; 20. Meredith Seay, Bishop Carroll, 531.