Coach Ty Lachowski coaches both the Girls and Boys Varsity teams at Nordonia High School. The Nordonia Girls Varsity Bowling team scored Nordonia’s second state championship! Lachowski and the Lady Knights have had a record breaking season and a celebratory one at that! The Boys varsity had a remarkable season finish as well.
The Lady Knights’ overall record of 12-1, and a conference record of 11-0 is worth mentioning profoundly. In February, the girls finished in first place in the pre and post season Suburban League Preseason Tournament. They also snagged 1st place at the Ravenna Ravens Invitational, and 3rd place at the Muskingum University Invitational, along with placing in the top three in just about every tournament or invitational they competed in! The Lady Knights showed up to play @ The Christmas Invitational, Buckeye High School Classic, Sectional Preview Tournament, the MLK Team Invitational, Tomahawk Invitational, and OHSAA Sectional Tournaments, placing in the top three at each!
The Lady Knights finished the qualifying round as the 6th seed heading into match play. During match play, Nordonia (187-163-213-183-161) defeated Massillon Perry (141-193-140-194-156) in the 1st round. In the 2nd, the Lady Knights (221-193-148-194) downed Jonathan Alder (193-204-137-174) to reach the state championship match. Kettering Fairmont stood in the team’s way, as the only other perennial state qualifier.
Boosted by strong crowd support and an immense will to win, Nordonia (173-214-191) swept Fairmont (152-197-168) in three straight games to capture the state title. The team was led by junior Kolbey Lewin’s 570- three game series. Varsity team members Grace Bzdafka (533), Kaitlyn McNutt (505), Hailey Whitten (498), with Brooke Barnes & Abby Toronski sharing a 449 series. Junior Grace Camargo and Sophomore Lexi DeMarco made up the remainder of the tournament team.
Junior Kolbey Lewin remarked, “We knew we had a good team coming into the season, and our goal was to win the Suburban League and do well enough at Districts to make it to States.
Our confidence grew as the season progressed. At States, everything just fell into place and the entire team bowled well. Winning the state championship on our first ever trip was an unforgettable experience! I’m so thankful for our coaches, I always love watching the boys team compete, but seeing my brother Bryce at his last high school event was a little bittersweet.”
Notable season mentions consist of also placing in the top three in each of the following tournaments and Invitationals: Suburban League Pre- and Postseason Tournaments, Ohio Kickoff, Ravenna Ravens Invitational, Norton Panther Challenge, Muskingum University Invitational, Christmas Invitational, Sectional Preview, and MLK Invitational, as well as OHSAA Sectional and District.
The Knights placed Bryce Lewin as “Honorable Mention All Ohioan”, who threw a 655- three game series and accepted his certificate commemorating the event. Other scoring bowlers included: Matt Willis (644), Kyan Freyhauf (608), Jeremy Patterson (573), and RJ Lewis (569). Aiden Bulanda, Drew Kitzmiller, and Josh Ware made up the remainder of the boys varsity team.
Senior Bryce Lewin sentimentally commenting on bowling his past four years says, “was truly incredible. I made strong friendships and learned so much about life. Although we didn’t get as far at States as I had hoped, I am insanely proud of my teammates, as they worked so hard this season. Watching my sister Kolbey, as well as the girl bowlers win the state championship was a moment I will never forget. Hard work and dedication truly pay off. They are an exact representation of what grit and determination can lead to.”
