Freshman influx, returning veterans writing Cinderella season for Utica girls bowling

UTICA — Utica High School girls bowling is only two seasons removed from its league-winning season in the Macomb Area Conference White, but it feels like ages ago after a downward spiral in 2023.

Weekend tournaments weren’t in favor of the Chieftains, and to make matters worse, the league only tacked on more stress to the tune of a 4-8 record for head coach Taran Heersma’s squad.

On the bright side, it left plenty of room for growth with his young crop of bowlers, and Utica is showing every ounce of muscle this year.

“Last year was a little bit of a down year for us,” Heersma said. “We had a lot of talent graduate after we won that title in 2021, so last year was a little bit of a rebuilding year. This year, we’ve had a huge influx of talented freshmen come in. A lot of them are really getting their feet wet, so we just take it day by day. We’re aware we have some talent here, but at the end of the day, we just go event by event and see what we can do every day.”

While state qualifier and junior sensation Hadley Clark, senior Regan Kelly, and junior Leila Buzenski returned to the team, the freshman class would need time to show what it could bring to the table.

Spearheaded by freshmen Ava Mazza, Ayvree Clark, Adriana DiPonio and Maya Strzelczyk, Utica’s young core is showcasing a strong future for the girls bowling program.

The Clark family tree continues to provide stellar bowlers for the Utica program, as Hadley and Ayvree’s older sister, Aubree, was a state finals qualifier and key contributor to the 2021 league title team alongside Hadley.

Mazza leads the freshman pack with a 192 average on the season, while Ayvree Clark and DiPonio, Kelly’s younger cousin, are both improving week after week with a 179 and a 159 average, respectively.

Mazza kicked off her inaugural varsity season with a stellar performance at the Dakota Cougar Classic, a tournament invitational Dec. 9 at Imperial Lanes.

In a field of 90 bowlers, Mazza placed third while Hadley Clark finished sixth, leading Utica to a team championship in the process. Ayvree Clark finished 16th as well.

For a team still figuring things out, there was no better start than edging out a field of 16 teams, which included some of the toughest teams in the MAC, such as Macomb Dakota and Macomb L’Anse Creuse North.

“That was really confidence-boosting for everyone because it really showed what we were capable of,” Heersma said. “It really set a nice tone for practices and all the events we’ve had moving forward.”

Since the Dakota Cougar Classic, Utica took home first as a team in the L’Anse Creuse North Baker’s Dozen and second in the Macomb County team bowling championship. While dominating the tournament scene, Utica has compiled a perfect 6-0 record in the MAC White, standing alone in first.

It’s a change of pace for the Chieftains, but the team is embracing the change and staying grounded throughout its success.

“Compared to the last two years, this has been huge,” Hadley Clark said. “I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s been really fun for us to experience winning more than we have in a while.”

As the season rolls on, improvements and personal growth continue to be the topic of conversation for Utica.

The freshman class only gets better with experience, and DiPonio is one who has been working tirelessly on perfecting her craft.

Starting at a 110-120 average, DiPonio skyrocketed to rolling a 200 and sitting at her current average of 159 in a matter of weeks.

DiPonio’s switch from a four-step approach to a five-step has done wonders for her game, but it’s also been a stressful process for the first-year varsity bowler.

Handling both varsity competition and approach technique transitions, DiPonio said she’s really come into her own this season.

“It’s been kind of stressful, but it’s also been really fun meeting new people and being on the same team as other kids,” DiPonio said.

For Hadley Clark and Kelly, it’s just building on what the veteran duo already was showcasing last season as varsity bowlers.

Clark is aiming for her third consecutive state qualification while Kelly is hoping to end her final high school season on the state finals stage.

“Just in terms of making all-around quality shots, (Kelly) has really dialed in this year and done a really good job of cleaning that up,” Heersma said. “The same could be said for Hadley. Hadley has always been very consistent in that regard. She’s one of our most consistent players. Every time we practice, we’re just looking for new tools to add to her game that can help her succeed in maybe some more edge-case scenarios.”

With everything Utica girls bowling has showcased this season so far, the team is hoping to earn the program its first girls state finals qualification since 2017, and possibly a league title along the way.