“I wanted these guys to buy in all season,” Raiders coach Jeremy Fleck said. “I told them if they listen and buy in, great things can happen, and it did.”
It was all about fresh legs for the Raiders, who went 6-0 in pool play Saturday and didn’t drop a single match all weekend. While other teams stuck with a consistent lineup, Fleck was mixing it up.
“We’re deep – eight deep – so, when we would switch pairs, I would sub in a couple of guys,” Fleck said. “I was subbing in and out all weekend and it worked for us.”
Raiders senior Jonathan Ciero appreciated the strategy.
“The beauty of it is that we have eight guys on the roster who could have bowled the whole tournament but by subbing we could all stay pretty fresh and not get too tired,” Ciero said. “And the victory belongs to the whole team, everyone was bowling and helping each other out.”
It was especially meaningful for Ciero and Andrew Bleakley, the only two graduating seniors on the Raiders roster.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better end of the season,” Ciero said.
Just a few weeks earlier, the Raiders had to contend with disappointment and an eighth-place finish at the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Sectional Tournament. Only the top four teams advanced to the ITC national tournament.
“We were definitely disappointed after sectionals, but we were able to put it behind us,” Wright State freshman Angelo Biondo said. “This win gives us confidence. It shows we can not only compete but win.”
The team title bodes well for the young Raiders squad.
“I’ve got some great recruits coming in and most of these guys coming back,” Fleck said. “I think this is a sign of things to come for us.”
While the championship was truly a team effort for the Wright State men, a few Raiders also left Iowa with individual honors. Biondo and junior Sophia Fischer were both named to the all-tournament team with Biondo claiming the men’s MVP title.
“It could have gone to any one of our guys,” Biondo said. “It just motivates me even more.”
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