Photo: Roughrider bowling coach Becky Gunderson with senior Zoey Van Gordon at her college signing ceremony
By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES — Senior Zoey Van Gordon, the leader of the Port Angeles High School bowling team, has long been a standout 4-H participant. So when Zoey signed her Letter of Intent on Wednesday to bowl for St. Mary College, it came as no surprise — especially since the NAIA school sits in the agriculture-rich state of Nebraska.
Zoey will bowl for the St. Mary College Flames in Omaha.
Despite only having traveled out of state to Oregon before this year, she took a recruiting trip to St. Mary and loved it.
The college has a strong connection to the University of Nebraska — as in the Nebraska Cornhuskers — and St. Mary athletes get access to the world-class Cornhusker athletic facilities, along with free tickets to Husker football games.
When asked how Mom and Dad feel about her heading halfway across the country for school, Zoey smiled and said, “They’re up and down with it!”
Zoey’s proud bowling coach Becky Gunderson opened the signing ceremony by talking about what a great student-athlete Zoey is and what a joy she has been to coach. Gunderson said the St. Mary bowling coach called her asking if she had a bowler capable of competing at the NAIA level — and Zoey was her first call.
Zoey plans to major in Biology and hopes to become a veterinarian specializing in large animals.
Bowling action today: Port Angeles hosts Olympic, while Sequim hosts North Mason at Laurel Lanes. Both matches start at 2:45 p.m.
It was a big night at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on Thursday as former Roughrider Millie Long led her 3–2 Fresno State Bulldogs against the 5–0, 25th-ranked Washington Huskies.
At halftime, 5th- and 6th-grade girls teams from Port Angeles and Sequim took the floor for a scrimmage, entertaining the crowd.
Roughly 200 Port Angeles and Sequim fans filled a large section behind the Fresno State bench, and many local players were frequently shown on the Big Ten Network broadcast and the arena’s giant video board, holding posters supporting Millie.
During the scrimmage, the Husky public address announcer praised the teams for their “great-looking uniforms.” Both squads impressed with strong fundamentals and obvious quality coaching.
The Port Angeles 5th-grade team won 4–0 with field goals from Brooke Ulin and Lilly Merritt.
Port Angeles Roughriders and Sequim Wolves prepare to take the court at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
As expected, the Huskies beat Fresno State 61–43, though the Bulldogs were competitive throughout.
Millie Long, Fresno State’s starting point guard, played 34 minutes and finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, and a blocked shot.
After the game, Millie came back out to sign autographs, take pictures with fans, and spend time with her family — whom she hadn’t seen since July.
Fresno State’s Millie Long with Sequim’s Ahstyn Messinger following Thursday’s game.
The UW Athletic Department was thrilled by the strong support from the Port Angeles and Sequim communities and said they look forward to hosting their grade-school teams again in the future.
A spirited group of Wolves players shows support for Millie Long and the Fresno State Bulldogs