Strike! Royals Ready For Another Successful Season

Doubles, turkeys, picking up spares. The Royals Bowling Team have done all of this during practices at their home lanes at Boulevard Bowl in Schenectady and they’re ready for more during their first tournament later this month.

Led by Head Coach Ron Williams and Assistant Coach Eliza Arasim ’23, the Royals will head out on Oct. 14 for the Eastern Intercollegiate Bowling Tournament in Oakland, N.J., where they will compete against teams from two- and four-year colleges from throughout the Northeast.

Justin Hulbert 

With two returning bowlers this semester and five first-year students, Coach Williams has his eyes on winning tournaments and finishing first in the Region III Conference which includes teams from Hudson Valley Community College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Erie Community College, Herkimer County Community College, and Fulton-Montgomery Community College. “Our goal is to be number one in the league this year and finish in the top five for tournaments we’re competing in,” said Coach Williams, who is in his fourth year with the Royals. “We are also looking to win regionals and give nationals a pretty good run.”

Kaitlyn Rose

The Royals last won Regionals during the 2019-2020 season and the Women’s Team finished in the top five during nationals that same year. Last season, Eliza Arasim and Jared Wachenheim finished in the top five for doubles at nationals, edging out bowlers from community colleges and four-year schools from across the country. The Royals also won the Bobcat Baker Classic in Pennsylvania last spring.

Richard Pitsas

Richard Pitsas, an Aviation major, 2022 graduate of Schalmont High School, and second-year bowler, noted that the team is capitalizing on the momentum from last season and team unity to start out strong. “We’re looking forward to going into the season as a team and as a family,” he said. “We’re helping each other out to achieve success and to win as much as possible.”

Tyler Drexel, who is in his first year as an Entrepreneurship major and Royal, has his eyes on nationals in the spring. “It will be good competing in the big tournaments and against some of the best schools in the country at nationals,” he said, adding that both of his parents also bowled for SUNY Schenectady. “We have a Keystone Quaker Classic in December in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and there should be some Division I schools there.”

Let’s Go Royals!