Head coach Stephen Anthony announced today the roster for the 2009-2010 Valparaiso women’s bowling squad, the inaugural season of competition for the team.  The nine-person roster includes four current Crusader students, three transfers and two incoming freshmen.

“I am very excited about the new program and the announcement of our inaugural team,” said Anthony.  “It is exciting to be a part of a new program; to be a part of history and to have the opportunity to build a program from scratch.  I am also looking forward to the challenge and responsibility that the players and coaches will share in forming the new team and culture as we strive for the ultimate goal of winning a National Championship for Valpo.”

Included among the current Valpo students are seniors Erin Gleason (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) and Alana Mackenthun (South Beloit, Ill./Hononegah), both of whom bowled for their varsity teams throughout their high school careers.  Current Valpo students Holly Anderson (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) and Lauren Hokenson (Portage, Ind./Portage) will both be juniors for the 2009-2010 campaign.  Anderson finished in the top-16 in her conference meet each of her four seasons of prep bowling, earning team MVP honors as a senior, while Hokenson won the individual sectional title as a sophomore in high school.

Transfers Ashley Busiel (Elk Grove Village, Ill./James B. Conant), Jessica Guertin (Milford, Mich./Milford) and Krystyna Johnson (Montgomery, Ill./Oswego East) will also dot the Crusader roster for the inaugural campaign.  Busiel comes to Valpo from Harper College, which does not have a bowling squad.  She was a varsity captain for Conant at the prep level, and captured the Wisconsin Scholarship Bowling Club championship in March of this year.  She ended her league season this year with a 200 average.

Guertin is transferring to Valparaiso from NCAA semifinalist Fairleigh Dickinson, where she appeared in five meets for the Knights as a freshman, including the NEC Championships.  In high school, Guertin won the 2006 MHSAA Division I Bowling Singles State title and represented Michigan in the Denny’s All-American High School Championship in 2008.  Johnson arrives at Valpo from NCAA semifinalist Delaware State, where she carried a 183 average in limited action as a freshman.  She earned All-Conference honors in high school each of her final two seasons and was an All-State honoree as a senior.

The Crusaders will also be welcoming a pair of classmates next year as the program’s first freshman class in Nicole Hamilton (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) and Lisa Janasik (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South).  Hamilton, a three-year varsity bowler, is a two-time state qualifier individually and qualified for Teen Masters Nationals in 2007.  Janasik, a two-year varsity bowler, earned the team’s Cougar Award as a senior and played lead off for the Cougars.  The duo served as co-captains this past year for Plainfield South and helped lead the school to its first-ever appearance at state, where it recorded a fourth-place finish.

“This year's team will have a tremendous challenge and opportunity in front of them; but I'm very optimistic that we will lay the foundation for a solid future due to the experience and balance we have in our first class,” said Anthony.  “In addition to an experienced group of current students, we will have experience at the collegiate level as well as success more recently at the high school level with our incoming freshman.  I believe this group will come together quickly to form a strong team that is not only competitive on the lanes, but also active and success in the classroom and community.  This program will complement the goals of the Athletic Department and look to follow the lead of so many other strong programs and student-athletes at Valpo.  We look forward to promoting the sport of bowling, while also representing ourselves and the University community in the manner that is expected of Valpo Athletics.”