WSHS bowlers bring home two state titles

What’s better than winning a state title at the MSHSL Adapted Bowling State Tournament? 

Winning two state titles. 

The Winhawks sent a large contingent to the state bowling tournament on Friday at Bowlero in Brooklyn Park, which was a good thing — because they needed plenty of help taking home all of the hardware. 

Winona claimed team state titles in the Cognitive Impairments (CI) Division and the Physical Impairments (PI) Division.

A welcome home celebration is planned during the school day today. Bowlers will meet at the high school at 2:45 p.m. and will ride a bus throughout the town, coming back to the high school by 3:15 p.m. for a victory parade through the school.

The CI Division Team of Beckett Bergstrom, Malachi Kelly, Jasen Kosidowski-Jaskola and Rebecca Schneider won the state title in their division with a score of 1,743. They edged out Zimmerman and Mankato East. 

In the PI Division, the team of Easton Gudmundson, Alex Windley-Daoust, Ailayah Mueller and Julian Winn posted a score of 1,792 to beat Tartan.

There were medals beyond the trophies, too. Gudmundson earned a silver medal in the PI singles competition, finishing second overall with a score of 473. Windley-Daoust placed fifth in the CI singles competition.

Other top finishers included Mueller placing 7th in the PI girls competition, while Kelly (7th) and Bergstrom (10th) earned medals in the CI boys competition.

The championships are the 11th and 12th team state titles in MSHSL history for a Winona High sports team. The last came in 2017, when the softball team won a state championship. 

Winona also has a proud tradition of excelling in adapted sports. The co-ed floor hockey team won state titles in 2002 and 2005.