News

By Ryan Schlehuber, MCC Sportswriter 

Taking in the accomplishments of the 2024-25 bowling season, Centurions Head Coach David Berry said his players from the Montcalm Community College men’s and women’s bowling teams weren’t the only ones who learned a lot. 

“Overall, every year, I learn, for myself, I need to continue to grow and develop just as our players expected to,” said Berry, who is in his second year of the new program at MCC. 

MCC wrapped up its season recently with the men’s team taking 12th place at the National Junior College Athletics Association national championships and the women’s team finishing eighth at the NJCAA regionals.  

Berry described the season for both teams as “100% a good season,” with the men’s team showing great improvement throughout the season while the women’s team, which played short-handed all season, turned out a respectable season avoiding a last place finish in each of its tournaments, including regionals.  

Along with his players improvements, Berry said he and his assistant coaches, Nick Slagter and Jason Kelly, learned they need to improve, as well, before the next season rolls around. 

“Every single day I learned I have to listen first,” Berry said. “Second, my assistant coach must let our kids have more autonomy. Those are some things we definitely can work on for next year.” 

Berry said with youth and vigor also comes high confidence that sometimes needs to be checked down and refocused. 

“They’re typical 18-19-year-old kids who think they know everything but they don’t have a clue,” Berry said. “My biggest lesson was learning how to develop them by having them learn they don’t know everything.”  

Now two years into competition experience, Berry said his men’s team competed at the level he expected, which was to work hard to finish no worse than third place in each tournament. His team finished third or better in all but three tournaments, including the national championship, taking fourth place in the Michigan Community College Athletics Association Championship and sixth place in the NJCAA Region XII Championship. 

The men’s team took one first-place finish, that being at the Jackson College Invitational Jan. 17. 

Sophomore Ethan Hopkins (Fenwick, Mich.) was happy with the season, pointing out the team’s chemistry that made it so enjoyable.  

“The team had good chemistry, so it helped make things feel a lot easier even if we weren’t doing so good,” said Hopkins, who finished up his two-year bowling career at MCC but will continue taking classes there in the fall.  

Berry credits the talent his men’s team has, pointing out at least a couple of them should’ve been playing for a four-year college team. 

“We got them to play for us and I’m so grateful for that,” Berry said. “They met my expectations for the year and, in some places, exceeded them.” 

Now with its two-year probationary period complete (mandatory for newly or reestablished athletic programs for community colleges), Berry said MCC men’s bowling is in a good position to take the next step in progression, especially if recruiting goes well in the offseason. 

“We went to nationals in only our second year, so that gave us some recognition from a school standpoint, giving us a feather in our cap,” Berry said. “I’m hoping that will turn some heads a little and get us some recruits that we may have not been able to get had we not made nationals.” 

With players like freshman Bradon Krohn (Fruitport, Mich.) returning next season, Berry said that will help the program. 

“He’s worked so hard and it shows,” Berry said of Krohn. “I had the fortune to bowl against him when I was at West Catholic (Grand Rapids) and he was playing at Fruitport and it’s been a pleasure watching him mature. It’s exciting to see him succeed.” 

Hopkins believes the players coming back next year will be in a good spot to succeed, as long as they stay consistent. 

“We had a hard time with staying consistent with our scores and smaller things like spare shooting,” Hopkins said. “But I think the freshmen that bowled this year will be able to do well simply because they will have the experience of bowling in college now. They are intelligent and can help the incoming freshmen be more prepared.” 

Along with Hopkins, sophomores Jerald Brownell (Cedar Springs, Mich.) and Nickolas Pennock (Carson City, Mich.) have finished out their careers at MCC, with Krohn, Jack McBride (Portland, Mich.), Cooper Hoskins (Portland, Mich.) and Joey Gonzalez (Greenville, Mich.) all expected to return for next season. 

With the women’s team, Berry said it was another year of playing shorthanded, as the team only had three full-time players — sophomore Zoey Guernsey (Ionia, Mich.), Madyson Hartman (St. Louis, Mich.) and sophomore Aubrey Marlin (Lakeview, Mich.), however, with the help of other MCC athletes, the women’s team never finished in last place. 

“That is back-to-back seasons where we played shorthanded and we never came in last,” Berry said. “So, to me, that’s actually outstanding considering what we were up against.” 

Berry said with losing Marlin and Guernsey to eligibility next season, he will be hitting the recruiting road hard. He said he already has one new player committed to bowl and will have another player who was redshirted this year eligible to bowl next season, as well. 

Overall, Berry said his three bowlers didn’t make huge improvements throughout the season like he was hoping, but they were playing better by the end of the season. 

“I was expecting my sophomores to jump in improvement by leaps and bounds, but that didn’t happen,” he said. “But they’re in a better spot than they were last year and they improved incrementally.” 

Berry knew the obstacles his women’s team had to overcome, mostly having to adjust to new part-time players every tournament after a few full-time players left the team even before the season started. 

“For a culture of having six to seven women at the start, when we started losing some, it kind of dropped the wind out of their sails,” Berry said. “But they still stayed true to consistency and they still gave everything they had.” 

Hartman said she and her teammates did quite well with the situation they faced at each tournament, relying on part-time bowlers to help carry the team (a bowling team needs five players to be eligible for competition).  

“I thought it went pretty well overall, considering we only had three main bowlers,” Hartman said. “From the beginning to the end, I think we adjusted pretty well.” 

Hartman said playing with new players every week was a challenge, but each bowler got along well, which has sparked her motivation to return next season. 

“Hopefully, we have a full team next year,” she said. “Getting more recruits will obviously help, and if we have a full team, I think it’ll help with how we focus and make it easier to do our best.”