BUTLER TWP — Leaving her “comfort zone” is no problem for Megan Paul.

She thrives on it, in fact.

“That's how you get better,” the Butler High School senior bowler said. “You challenge yourself.”

Paul recently accepted a bowling scholarship at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., where she will be joining one of the top collegiate teams in the country.

Lindenwood is ranked No. 1 in the nation this season. The Lions have been ranked no lower than sixth nationally every year since 2006.

“They have three travel teams there and a lot of girls compete for spots on them,” Paul said. “I know nothing's going to be handed to me there.”

Of course, nothing was handed to her at Butler, either.

Paul recalled her freshman year, when the Golden Tornado had five returning seniors and she was just looking for a spot on the team.

“I wound up qualifying for states in singles. That's when I realized I could be good at this,” she said.

She hasn't stopped working at the sport since.

Paul averaged in the 170's her freshman year. She averaged 181 as a sophomore and has a 202 average so far this season, including a 691-series last week against Karns City. She rolled games of 230, 256 and 205.

“Her dedication and passion are what make her stand out,” Paul's older sister, Heather, said. “Megan was always an athlete growing up.

“When she recognized bowling as a sport she could actually teach herself ... she just took off.”

Paul has bowled in tournaments in Illinois, New York and West Virginia, along with Pennsylvania. She will bowl in Nevada next summer.

“I've been bowling in Butler since I was 3,” she said. “I wanted to experience other places.”

It was while bowling in the Junior Nationals in Buffalo, N.Y., last summer that Paul met Lindenwood coach Phil Vida. She wound up visiting the campus “and fell in love with it.”

Paul also looked at Pikeville (Ky.) University, Wichita State and Robert Morris, Ill., before deciding on Lindenwood. She carries a 4.0 grade point average and plans to major in international business.

Paul will become the third Butler female bowler to attain a scholarship in the six-year history of the program. Brea Suchonic is team captain as a sophomore at Penn State-Altoona and Autumn Hepler is a sophomore at Ursuline (Ohio).

“That's a tribute to the quality of youth bowling in Butler,” Butler High bowling coach Bob Cupp said. “Those girls didn't just learn how to bowl when they were freshmen. They knew what they were doing.

“Megan has worked so hard to improve her game. She's been to camps and she jumps into any tournament she can find. And this year, she's really embraced the leadership role for the girls.”

Butler's girls won the state championship when Suchonic and Hepler were seniors. Paul would like nothing better than to lead this team to the program's second state title in her final season.

“That would be the ideal way to go out,” she admitted.

“Megan really wants to get out of here with that 60-0 record,” Cupp said, referring to the Tornado girls having never lost a dual match.

“Her league average this year has occurred while bowling in three different houses: Family Bowlaway, Mars Lanes and Bruin Lanes. She knows how to adapt to different lanes.”

Besides bowling, Paul has been involved with Future Business Leaders of America, the Goodwill Ambassadors Club, Junior ROTC and the choir. She's played basketball and run track and cross country.

“Bowling has always been a passion of mind,” Paul said. “I feel like I've gained a lot of knowledge in the sport, but not nearly enough.

“I want to keep getting better.”