Here are central Ohio's top high school girls bowlers entering the 2022-23 season
Eight members of last season's ThisWeek Super 12 girls bowling team are on our preseason team this year.
The season will conclude with the release of the final Super 12, and the Athlete of the Year will be announced at the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards.
Super 7: Central Ohio's top girls bowling teams
Season preview: Girls bowling sees growth after some programs struggled during COVID-19 pandemic
Preseason Super 12
Phoebe Anderson
School: Olentangy
Year: Senior
Anderson was one of Olentangy’s top contributors last season with a 186.5 average in COHSBC play, good for seventh in the league. She also averaged 184.1 in OCC play to finish 11th.
A Super 12 honoree, Anderson finished third (638) at sectional, tied for 53rd (435) at district and helped the Braves reach their third consecutive Division I state tournament, where she was 40th (524). Olentangy placed 10th, nine pins from making the championship round.
Jade Gabor
School: Newark
Year: Junior
Gabor averaged 199.8 in seven OCC matches to finish second overall and help the Wildcats win the OCC-Cardinal Division at 7-0 as she made the Super 12.
She finished eighth (565) at the Division I sectional and third (626) at district to advance to state individually as the Wildcats fell short of advancing to state by 32 pins. She placed 71st (450) at state in what was the program’s first representation at that level since 2010.
Payton Hartgrove
School: Westerville Central
Year: Senior
As the lone girl in the program last season, Hartgrove competed with the boys team during the regular season and in the girls postseason. She finished second (663) at state in Division I, one pin behind Makayla Velasquez of Amherst Steele, and made the Super 12.
Hartgrove was seventh (615) at district and ninth (561) at sectional and had a 198.5 average in COHSBC play, helping the boys team win COHSBC-A and OCC-Buckeye titles.
Danielle Phipps
School: Jonathan Alder
Year: Senior
A Super 12 honoree, Phipps led the CBC in average (204.5) while earning league Player of the Year honors and was Division I district runner-up (672). At state, she tied for 14th (571).
With Phipps leading the way, the Pioneers won the CBC at 16-0 and went on to earn runner-up finishes at the district and state levels.
Victoria Pletcher
School: Lakewood
Year: Junior
Pletcher, who averaged 156 per game while earning first-team all-LCL honors, opened last year’s postseason by placing 10th (488) at the Division II sectional and then turned in a ninth-place finish (529) at district as the Lancers captured the championship.
At state, Pletcher shot 537 to place 20th as Lakewood finished 13th in its first appearance.
Addison Poulsen
School: Westerville South
Year: Senior
Poulsen finished 16th in the COHSBC and 18th in the OCC last season with a 173 average. She finished 36th (485) at district and tied for 17th (536) at sectional.
Poulsen was second on the Wildcats with a high game of 235 and high two-game series of 409. She rolled a 200 game or better five times.
Makayla Pounds
School: Delaware Hayes
Year: Senior
Pounds finished ninth in the COHSBC (183.3) and 10th in the OCC (184.2) in average last season as the Pacers’ No. 2 bowler behind 2022 graduate Hannah Halstead.
Pounds was 10th at sectional (553) and tied for 46th at district (459). In one stretch last season, she topped 200 in four out of six games, including a career best of 245.
Emma Pugh
School: Pickerington Central
Year: Sophomore
Pugh’s 184.2 average led the Tigers as they reached their first Division I state tournament as a team.
She ranked eighth in the COHSBC in average as Central went 11-1 overall, 10-1 in the COHSBC-C and 5-1 in the OCC-Central. Pugh tied for 44th (576) at sectional, placed 10th (581) at district and tied for 49th (506) at state to earn Super 12 honors. She had a high game of 246.
Delaney Rossette
School: Gahanna Lincoln
Year: Senior
After competing at the Division I district tournament as a freshman at Worthington Kilbourne and then not playing as a sophomore, Rossette joined the Lions last winter and went on to make the Super 12.
She finished third (194.5) in the COHSBC in average as the Lions won their seventh consecutive league title, then was fourth (607) at sectional and fourth (624) at district. At state, she finished third (644) as Gahanna placed 11th.
Alexzandria Stewart
School: Westerville South
Year: Senior
Stewart finished 19th in the COHSBC and 22nd in the OCC with a 171 average. She then tied for 27th (510) at sectional and tied for 17th (526) at district.
She had a high game of 244 and a high two-game series of 441, both team-best efforts, and eclipsed the 200 mark in six games.
Olivia Strait
School: Licking Valley
Year: Junior
Last winter, Strait finished fifth (192.0) in the LCL and was third (596) at sectional in Division II before winning the district title with a 648. She went on to finish 31st (506) at state and made the Super 12.
As a freshman, she turned in a sixth-place finish at the district tournament to miss advancing to state by 12 pins.
Madison Strouse
School: Marysville
Year: Senior
Strouse capped her junior season by finishing ninth (582) in the Division I district tournament after tying for 24th (519) at sectional.
She finished second in the COHSBC and third in the OCC with a 197.7 average, and had a high game of 268. She also was named to the Super 12.
sports@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekSports
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Columbus and central Ohio top girls high school bowlers
