Alec Dudley
Anchorage’s Alec Dudley overcame finicky lane conditions better than most at the Warhawk Open in Addison, Illinois.
The University of St. Francis bowler rolled back-to-back 200 games to wrap up his six-game series and finish inside the top 40 among 300 bowlers at the college tournament.
The Alaskan placed 38th overall, with his closing total of 417 in the final two games ranking as the seventh highest in the field.
“The lanes were very tricky,” he said by direct message. “When patterns are tough, you’ve got to stay strong on both the mental and physical side.”
While most bowlers crumbled down the stretch, Dudley stood tall.
He rolled a 215 in Game 5 and a 202 in Game 6, catapulting him up the individual standings. His closing total of 417 dwarfed the average total of the tournament’s top-10 finishers (392) over the final two games.
Dudley, of Bartlett High fame, credited communication with his teammates and coaches.
“We were able to break down the lanes,” he said. “The best way to stay strong mentally and physically is being able to have your team around you and grind.”
Once the former junior college All-American found his groove, he was in the zone.
“The lanes finally opened up for us, meaning we had more hold in the middle and free hook on the right,” he said. “Our game plan after practice was that we knew the lanes were very tough, so being able to get to 190-200 would be huge for us.”
Dudley was the top finisher among St. Francis bowlers and led the Fighting Saints to a second-place finish among 32 teams.
“Our coaching staff is amazing in getting us in that mindset and reminding us that sometimes, especially at the beginning of the day, that we need to be in a grind mindset and get every pin that you can.”
Dudley, a graduate student, finished his six-game series with a total pin count of 1,131 for an average of 188.5 – just three shy of the top 25.
“Overall, my performance for this week would probably be a C-minus,” he said “I believe that my spare game isn’t 100 percent, so I know I need to hunker down and work on that during these next few weeks.”
Trevor Perov
Ryan Dudley
Other Alaskans to compete at the Warhawk Open included Juneau’s Trevor Perov of Perdue University and Anchorage’s Ryan Dudley of William Penn University.
Perov, a two-hander, finished 64th with a six-game series of 1,065. He is a junior team captain.
Ryan Dudley, a senior, finished 89th with 1,031 pins.
“Being able to see all the Alaskan talent at these bowling tournaments is so amazing and I cannot wait to see the future of Alaska bowlers grow,” Alec Dudley said.
The Dudley bros bowled at Iowa Central Community College, where they led the team to a 2019 NJCAA championship and teamed up to win the doubles national title.
Alec Dudley transferred to St. Francis and helped the Fighting Saints win the 2021 NAIA national championship.
