Freeport bowlers off to strong start in quest to return to state tournament

By: Antonio Rossetti
Sunday, December 24, 2023 | 11:04 AM

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The Freeport girls bowling team swarmed out of the gate, looking to make it back to the state tournament.

The Yellowjackets finished third in the state last year and aim to finish even higher this year.

Freeport won its first four matches behind some noteworthy efforts. Kylie McConahy bowled a near-perfect 286 early in the season and carries a 201.33 average.

“Everybody, no matter what’s going on in the whole bowling alley, starts to realize when she gets on a run like that,” Freeport coach Tom Livingston said. “She had the front 10 (strikes) until that point, the pressure was probably on her because she knew everybody in the house was watching. It’s exciting when somebody gets into that groove and can perform at that level for 10 frames.”

McConahy bowled a 651 series against Apollo-Ridge and followed that performance with a 653 series against Burell.

McConahy and her Yellowjackets teammates have been dominant in accumulating 10,570 pins, nearly 2,000 more than any other team in the Northeast section.

“We didn’t know how the season would start out here with losing a couple of seniors last year that were pretty important to the team,” Livingston said. “We had one, one additional girl that we didn’t expect and we have a pretty solid team again.”

Freeport also returned Mackensie Livingston and Hannah Windows, along with newcomer Olivia Svitek.

“Mackensie last year had a 186 average, so we expected slightly better out of her this year, and she’s proven to do that,” Livingston said. “Hannah (Windows) and Kylie (McConahy) are both returning from ninth grade last year. They’re exceeding our expectations this year. And Olivia Svitek, she’s the girl that we didn’t have last year that came in as a 10th grader, but being an experienced bowler already has made her a valuable asset also.”

Mackensie Livingston, a senior leader, is posting a 200 average and better than a 600 average per series.

Windows and McConahy bolster a deep lineup. Windows rolled a 600-plus series with a 248 game vs. Burrell, and McConahy has notched multiple 600 series.

Svitek rolled a 219 game against Apollo-Ridge and a 202 game against Armstrong. Despite this being her first year of high school bowling, Svitek provides league experience.

“I think we can definitely make states again,” Mackensie Livingston said. “We made it last year. Probably nationals. I think we can actually do better at states this year because we have more of a base. I think we were good bowlers last year, but I feel like we’re all more ready now.”

Bowling is a mental game as well and that poses a challenge for every team. There are different oil patterns, and each alley can have a slight change to that pattern. Nevertheless, the Yellowjackets stay calm and collected.

“We practice every day,” Mackensie Livingston said. “I know they all practice once or twice outside of it. I practice two or three times a week, and we’re working as a team and staying calm with each other. We’re not sweating over a missed spare here and there.”

As for the boys team, they are mostly underclassmen, and have started 2-2. Young bowlers John Fischer, Aaron Demharter, John Kacy, Luke Laboda, Gabe Migliorisi, Christian Como and Nirvan Harrell achieved personal highs and have high expectations for the future.

“We have a lot of ninth and 10th graders that some of them just started going in this season started, so I guess for a lot of these guys, it’s more about just saying personal gain from the beginning of the season to the end of the season,” coach Livingston said.

Junior Colin Cummings spearheads the boys team with a 181.5 average. Seniors Dylan Granata and Tynan Sub also are key contributors. Cummings is an experienced bowler who posted a 635 series against Armstrong early in the season.

“He was very strong over the last couple of years,” coach Livingston said. “He’s off to a little bit of a slow start here, but I know he’ll figure it out.”

Cummings’ sister, Julia, won the WPIBL girls singles title last season.

Coach Livingston said there is no replacing a talent like that, but Mackensie Livingston commented on her impact on the team.

“I know Kylie and I, we were all pretty close with her and Emma (Windows), but she always kept pushing me to try and be a little better,” Livingston said. “I wanted to beat her but she definitely helped me feel like I could be that good someday.”

Coach Livingston has high hopes for the boys in the future and for the girls team to improve upon their third-place finish.

“Last year, they were competing to be one of the best teams in the WPIBL,” coach Livingston said. “Where they’re starting out, I think they can compete with some of the best teams again this year.”

Tags: Freeport