Hall of Fame Inductees 2021

Since the inception of Michigan high school bowling in 2003, the Michigan High School
Interscholastic Bowling Coaches Association annually selects the most prominent
individuals to the MHSIBCA Hall of Fame. Representatives can include coaches,
athletic directors, bowling alley proprietors, and even news writers. To be inducted into
the Hall of Fame, individuals must have been involved with high school bowling for at
least 14 years and must be nominated by a member coach of the MHSIBCA.
This year, the Coaches Association inducted two esteemed coaches into the Hall of
Fame. Both resumes reach nearly two decades of coaching along with a handful of
conference titles. The hard work of Byron Center head coach Walter Dyer and Mercy
High School coach Vicky Kowalski came to fruition and cemented them with the highest
honor a coach can earn with the MHSIBCA.
Walter Dyer- Byron Center High School
An 18-year coaching veteran, Coach Dyer’s numbers speak for themselves. In his
career, Dyer has led the way to seven conference championships and four regional
championships. In 2017 he even earned the title of Boys Dream Team Coach of the
Year. In that same season, Dyer guided an individual bowler in David Northouse to take
home a singles state championship. Over the years, Dyer traveled to eight state finals
with the boys and four state finals with the girls. His best team showing also came in
2017 with a third-place finish. Personally, Dyer has 23 perfect games along with eight
800 series.
“It’s an honor and very humbling. It was very exciting when I got the email saying that I
was elected to the hall of fame. It was something that I didn’t really think about a whole
lot throughout the years of coaching, but the last few years it was something that came
up a little bit and we were very excited to be nominated and elected.”
Coach Walter Dyer had many people to thank in his speech for helping him reach this
moment.
“I want to thank the athletic directors at Byron Center, Brady Lake, Blake Mueller, and
Marcia Schierbeek. I also want to thank Mike Marks, the proprietor at Spectrum Lanes,
and my wife and family.”
Most importantly, Dyer wanted to thank his assistant coach who he knows extremely
well- his son Derek. Derek sat alongside his father for four years while bowling in high
school, and remained by his side ever since. For the past 13 years, Derek has helped
lead Byron Center to multiple conference and regional titles. Walter labels his son Derek
as a hall of famer in his book.
Vicky Kowalski- Mercy High School
After 19 years of coaching high school bowling, Kowalski finally joined another hall of
fame. Previously, she already held membership in the Croatian Catholic Union Hall of
Fame and the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and
now she adds another to her resume. It’s been a long time coming for Kowalski who
joined the committee to help start high school bowling.
Kowalski spoke, “I’ve been involved since the beginning, I was on the committees with
the MHSAA to get it started, I was on the JV committee for the JV states. I ran a
regional for the first ten years of high school bowling, so I’ve been in from the ground
floor, and it’s nice to be recognized for all that hard work.”
Coach Kowalski had support from the Mercy Athletic Director, Nancy Malinowski from
the very start. Malinowski knew she came from a lone line of bowling, so she went
straight to her. Kowalski’s uncle Bill Bunetta resides in the USBC Hall of Fame. Bunetta
joined the hall in 1968 for both his bowling and coaching prowess.
Her family makes up the group of coaches at Mercy. The group includes her husband
Mike, daughter Cathleen and son-in-law Chris. The group has led Mercy High School to
ten Catholic League Championships and one regional championship. They guided the
program to three state finals, with eight bowlers heading to the individual state finals
including one runner-up finish who just happens to be Kowalksi’s daughter, Cathleen. In
2004, during the program’s initial stage, Coach Kowalski got the chance to coach her
daughter to the finals. The next year, Cathleen earned herself a spot on the Dream
Team.

By: Chase Kaufman

Lawrence Tech

2021

Dream Team 2021

To officially conclude the 2020-2021 MHSAA boys and girls bowling seasons, the
coaches association bestowed the most prestigious awards in the sport to the top
athletes and coaches on Wednesday, May 26th.
These awards, specifically given to seniors, use regional and state finishes from the
past four years to determine the finest high school bowlers since the 2017-18 season.
After six girls and six boys rise to the top to earn Dream Team accolades along with a
boys and girls coach, the best of the best earn Miss Bowling and Mr. Bowling honors.
Not only will these distinguished student-athletes be honored in the record books, but
they soon will be honored in Allen Park, Michigan. Dream Team members, Miss
Bowling, and Mr. Bowling recipients will be recognized in the trophy room at
Thunderbowl Lanes.

2021 MHSAA Girls Bowling Dream Team
Miss Bowling: Dani DeCruydt- Lake Shore High School
Doubling down on her Dream Team selection, DeCruydt earned 2021’s Miss Bowling
title. Finishing runner-up in 2019 falling just short of a D1 singles title, she qualified 1st
in D2 the very next season. However, an upset to the 16 seed in the first round saw her
exit early, with just her senior year remaining. With one last shot at a state title, Dani
prevailed. After qualifying for states all four years, she averaged 205 to qualify as the
three-seed, and ran the table in 2021 to finally be declared a state champion.
For helping her throughout her high school career Dani had many people to thank.
“I want to thank my family, all my coaches, most importantly my dad because he’s been
my coach since I was little, my friends for supporting me, and all the people that I’ve met
throughout bowling.”
She’ll head not far from home to join the Blue Devils of Lawrence Tech in Southfield.

Kathryn McArthur- Pittsford High School
A four-time D4 state qualifier, Kathyrn finished 10th, 3rd, 1st, and 6th in her region over
her four-year career. At states in 2019 and 2020, she qualified as the four seed and the
two seed respectively but fell in the first round in both years. Her best performance at
states came this past season after qualifying 5th, where she won her first two matches
but ended up falling to the 1-seed in the semifinals. The Pittsford graduate who also
dabbles in clay target shooting will head north to Jackson College to continue her
bowling career with the Jets.

Anna Maxwell- Westland John Glenn High School
One of the most dominant threats in all of high school bowling, Anna qualified for states
in each of her four years. After a loss in the 2018 state quarterfinals and a loss in the
2020 state semifinals, Anna finally achieved perfection during her senior year. In 2021,
she squeaked by the eight-seed in the first round of brackets but never came close to
dropping any of her next three matches. In game one of the finals, she delivered a 289
helping her secure a D1 state title. Anna will be heading down to St. Louis to study
sports management and marketing at Maryville University.

Karissa Manifold- Hillsdale High School
A three-time all-state first team member and a three-time state qualifier, Karissa made
the top 16 all three times at the state finals, including qualifying first in 2020. Her best
state finish came in her fourth and final year. Following a 2nd place finish at regionals in
2021, Karissa qualified 3rd at D3 states and eventually lost in the semifinals. The
four-sport athlete (volleyball, golf, and softball) also led her team to a 3rd place finish at
states after the Hornets nabbed a regional title. Manifold will join McArthur this fall at
Jackson College to study nursing.

Kassidy Alexander- Hanover-Horton High School
Kassidy’s best season came her junior year when she seized a state title as a
three-seed in 2020, but still threatened for a D4 state title during her senior year in the
singles and team portion. After capturing a team regional title a week prior, the senior
pushed her team on Friday to a runner-up finish. The next day, she attempted to claim
back-to-back state titles but the eventual champion stopped Kassidy short in the semis.
Spring Arbor University successfully added the future social work major to their bowling
team.

Abigail Mather- Charlotte High School
Abigail stands alone as the only two-time individual regional champ on the girls’ dream
team. She reeled in regional titles during her sophomore and junior years. In 2019, she
didn’t make the top 16 at states. However her best season came in 2020 after qualifying
8th at D2 states, advancing to the quarterfinals but then losing in a tight match. In 2021,
she finished 7th in her region to qualify for states. However, she was unable to compete
in state singles for her senior year.

Coach: Karrie Brunner- Gobles

2021 MHSAA Boys Bowling Dream Team
Mr. Bowling: Izaac Goergen- Midland High School
With an unbelievable résumé, which includes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 7th place regional
finishes and not one but two individual D1 state titles, Izaac earned himself the honor of
Mr. Bowling and will forever be next to some of the most esteemed high school bowlers
in Michigan.
“It feels amazing,” expressed Goergen. “It’s four years of work paying off and I feel like
I’ve earned it so I’m very glad to see it come to fruition.”
After a 40th place finish at states as a freshman, it only went up from there. He qualified
4th in 2019 but was upset in the first round. He took that loss as motivation to improve
over the next two years. His closest match in 2020 was a 39-pin difference, and even
though 2021 had a couple of closer matches, he prevailed once again to clinch his 2nd
state title.
When asked if this will urge him to keep working hard so something even bigger could
transpire in the future, Mr. Bowler noted his current drive for greatness already neared
its peak.
“I’m sure it helps, but I’m already locked in. This is what I want to do for the rest of my
life and I’m getting that opportunity to bowl the next four years competitively and
hopefully get to the next step. This just shows that I’m on the right path.”
Izaac will take his talents to Ann Arbor this fall to bowl for the Concordia Cardinals.
Sean Wyers- Grass Lake High School
Sean was an integral part of a top-tier program at Grass Lake High School and the
numbers back it up. Individually, he qualified 3rd for states in 2018 and 2019, and as a
junior in 2020, he changed things up and took home a regional title to advance to
states. Sean wasn’t able to make it out of the first round individually, but he
compensated for it on the team side. Grass Lake collected regional titles in 2020 and
2021 and continued its prominence by winning D4 states in 2020 and D3 states in 2021.
Sean will be heading down to Florida to bowl at prestigious Webber International
University while majoring in business.

Noah Tafanelli- Warren Woods Tower High School
A three-time state qualifier and two-time regional champion, Noah always found himself
in match play when he got the chance. In 2019 and 2021, he qualified 11th and 3rd
respectively but dropped his first match in brackets both years. However, in 2020 Noah
obliterated the competition. He qualified first, averaging 226 for his six games, and had
a low two-game set of 439 in brackets as he charged through the field for a D2 state
title. Noah will be majoring in criminal justice as he bowls for Siena Heights University.

Marco Ramirez- Woodhaven High School
Marco’s finest season came in 2020 after placing 8th at regionals and making a run at
the D1 state title. After finishing 9th in qualifying, Marco took down his first two
opponents in bracket play which included an impressive 484 in the second round. He
later lost in the semis by two marks, therefore, ending his title run. After a 2021 9th
place finish at regionals, Marco missed out on the top 16 at states by 24 pins. Marco will
head to Lawrence Tech to study Mechanical Engineering and bowl with the Blue Devils.

Brayden Metcalf- Jackson Northwest High School
Brayden’s first state finals appearance in 2020 ended in a first-round loss after
qualifying 9th at regionals. Advancing by the skin of his teeth at regional qualifying,
Brayden took full advantage at this year’s state finals after his close call. Qualifying for
2021 states by just four pins, he vowed not to take that spot for granted. After a solid six
games of qualifying averaging 215, Brayden snuck by in the first two matches to
advance to the final four. He made a run after being down 61 pins after game one, but
his fight came up eight pins short. Brayden will continue his bowling career at Spring
Arbor University while majoring in biology and pre-medicine.

Hunter Haldaman- Traverse City Christian High School
After Hunter missed out on States in his sophomore year by just 12 pins, he never
looked back. He cruised through regionals the last two seasons as the only one to
average over 200 in either year and continued his dominance at the state finals. In
2020, Hunter qualified 2nd and mowed down the field. He never had a set under 400 as
he took home a D4 state title. In 2021, seeking back-to-back state titles, Hunter was
right on pace, qualifying 2nd once again. However, he lost in the semis, just two
matches away from excellence. He will bowl for Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids
this fall.

Coach- Troy Stamm Swartz Creek High School
A 17-year coaching veteran, Stamm has mentored Kearsley High School and Swartz
Creek High School during his tenure. He led the Dragons of Swartz Creek to the State
Finals in 2020 and 2021 and in 2013 and 2016. Along with multiple tournament wins
over the past decade, Coach Stamm propelled his groups to five conference titles in
Swartz Creek since his first year with them in 2012. Troy even had an individual
advance to the D1 semifinals in 2021.
“It’s an honor,” Coach Stamm said. “I would have never dreamed I would have gotten it,
I was at a loss for words. It’s just amazing to be looked up to at this level.”

Troy thanks his good coaching friends Robert Tubbs and Robert Ploof, his kids, parents,
Darlene, his wife Genie, and all the students he has coached throughout the years

By: Chase Kaufman

Lawrence Tech

2021