High Rollers
LATROBE — Her average was 180 and Mercedes Belch was enjoying life as one of the top bowlers on a strong Butler High School team.
That was two years ago.
Last year, she hit culture shock.
As a freshman at St. Vincent College, Belch's average plummeted into the 140's as she struggled to adjust from a house shot to a more challenging oil pattern.
“It took a big hit,” Belch said of her average.
But she hit back.
This year, Belch's average rebounded to 172 and she cracked the starting lineup for a St. Vincent team that finished 50-7 overall — 16-2 as co-champion with Medaille in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play — and with the highest winning percentage in all of NCAA bowling.
“From the second half of her freshman year, she just took off,” Zidek said.
“I love competition,” Belch said. “Everybody on this team battles for a spot in the lineup, but all of the girls are nice about everything. We're a team.”
That team includes former Butler teammate Abby Kyle. Like Belch, she is a sophomore on the St. Vincent squad.
Kyle's average was 160 this season, though she wasn't part of the Bearcats' regular lineup.
“Abby's average never took that dip from high school,” St. Vincent coach Jeff Zidek said. “Bowlers generally lose 25 to 30 pins off their average from high school to their college freshman year. Abby's been very steady and the oil pattern never seemed to affect her.
“It's just that the competition on this team is so stiff because I recruit nationwide. When I took this job, I told the administration I was going to take it very seriously.”
Zidek has averaged 215 as a bowler himself over the last decade. He's rolled four perfect games. His fulltime job is as track announcer for harness racing at The Meadows.
He and his two assistants only coach bowling part-time. The team only practices once a week.
“We're not here to teach people how to bowl. We're here to fine-tune them,” Zidek said.
St. Vincent's bowling program is only three years old. The Bearcats put together an independent schedule in their debut season and finished 25-26.Last year — its first in the AMCC — St. Vincent was 39-14 overall, 11-3 in AMCC matches while placing third in the league.“I hit recruiting hard from the first day,” Zidek said. “A lot of Division III programs recruit bowlers out of the dorms to fill out their roster. I'll go to Florida, Las Vegas, a big tournament in Detroit ... everywhere.“We can't give athletic scholarships, but there's a number of Division I-caliber bowlers out there who don't want to have bowling as their primary focus in college. That's why we only practice once a week, not five days a week.“My focus is on these kids graduating and getting a job, not turning pro. If a kid has a big test tommorrow and we have practice tonight? Stay home and study. There are enough bowlers out there who believe in that philosophy that we can build a competitive roster,” Zidek added.Extremely competitive, actually.“It can be intimidating,” Kyle admitted. “The team is always getting better. There's new bowlers coming in next year who were anchors on their (high school) teams.“I'm working on my spares and on the mental part of the game. If I miss a shot or have a bad game, I can't beat myself up.”Belch said having Kyle as a teammate in college is “a lot of fun,” but can be difficult as well.“It's different because we're competing against each other for a spot on the varsity,” Belch added. “We still root for each other to do well.”While bowlers are on the team from all over the country, Kyle believes they can all come together.“We need to help each other, support each other and I think we will get stronger as a team that way,” Kyle said. “We have it in us.”The AMCC Tournament was canceled bcause of the COVID-19 outbreak, denying the Bearcats a shot at the league title and a trip to NCAA nationals.Unlike other sports, all levels of college bowling teams compete in the same tournament.“We could have gone up against a Division I program. That would have been interesting,” Zidek said.“I like where the program is going,” Belch said. “We have six or seven bowlers who were anchors in high school joining the team. It's hard to keep your spot.“A lot of us go out to the lanes and practice on our own. We're constantly being pushed by each other. But that's how you win.”
