With a No. 16 ranking in the country, a likely All-American and another trip to the national championships, the ASU bowling club team has added yet another impressive season to its storied history.
The team will travel to El Paso, Texas, for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships on Wednesday. The trip will mark the 24th time that the team has competed at nationals, second only to Wichita State.
In its history, the club has produced a College Bowler of the Year, Joe Ciccone in 1997, and won a national championship in 1981.
According to coach Jordan Nassberg, what makes these accomplishments even more impressive is that the club functions independently of the university.
Nassberg estimates team expenses total around $30,000 every year and, with no funding from ASU, the team members cover this amount themselves. Players are asked to pay between $1,500 and $2,000, depending on how many tournaments they travel to.
Kevin Saunders, a grad student who sports a 197 bowling average, believes the benefits of being on the team outweigh the costs, and he felt the money wasn’t a big issue.
“It stinks at first because it’s a lot of money up front,” Saunders said. “But it equals out in the long run . . . and I get more than my money back throughout the year.”
To help defer a portion of the costs, the team does fundraising with the help of AMF Bowling. A sponsorship through 900 Global, which Nassberg values at around $10,000 per year, also helps the team get free bowling balls.
A majority of the team’s expenses go toward travel and tournament entry fees. The team, which is divided into separate A and B squads, flies east three times a year in addition to traveling to seven more local tournaments.
The team, which bowled about 11,000 practice games last year according to Nassberg, continues to excel in these competitions.
Brandon Donnelly, a grad student with a 194 average, points to team chemistry as a major factor in this year’s success.
“Everyone gets along well,” he said. “There are no personality conflicts or anything and it works out well.”
Another factor may be the level of coaching the bowlers receive. According to the club’s Web site, Nassberg and assistant coach Michael Haugen Jr., who currently bowls on the Professional Bowler’s Association (PBA) Tour, have 24 career PBA 300 games between them.
This year’s team is also anchored by a Collegiate Bowler of the Year finalist in Brian Makan, who is ranked in the top 20 individually in the nation according to collegebowling.com.
Makan feels at home in the leadership role for the team.
“I like being under pressure where I have to get a strike,” Makan said. “It’s about doing what the team needs and celebrating with them.”
Makan’s leadership and ability draw the highest praise from his coach, who calls Makan “by far, the best left-handed bowler in the country.”
Whatever the reason, this year’s team navigated its way through 11 tournaments to make it to El Paso.
Because men’s college bowling is not a NCAA-sanctioned sport, the team participates in USBC certified tournaments. The USBC serves as the governing body for intercollegiate bowling, and according to its Web site, 180 universities are part of the USBC collegiate program.
The team competes in six major tournaments every year, along with four other tournaments, Nassberg said.
The results of these tournaments helped ASU qualify for the sectional tournament, which placed the top 64 teams in the country into four regions. In the sectional tournament, ASU finished in the top four in its region, qualifying for the national championships.
Heading into the tournament, Nassberg believes the team is more prepared than they have ever been and believes they will be competitive in every match.
“This is the most prepared I’ve ever had them,” he said. “My seniors have been there three times already, and they know what it takes.”
