DALLAS - Gregg Haden tried his hardest to keep his emotions from coming out here Sunday.
It didn't work.
Competing for the final time, the Iowa Central men's bowling team finished fifth at the Intercollegiate Team Championships Sectional Qualifier at USA Bowl. Midland, Wichita State and Martin Methodist all advanced to the championships as the Top-3 teams.
The Tritons had a two-day total of 7,368, just a handful of pins behind Lindenwood. The finish tied for the best in program history with the 2019 team.
"I told (assistant) Coach (Haley) Hall that I wasn't going to get emotional," Haden said. "That didn't work. I tried my hardest, but just like at the NJCAA Tournament, I couldn't keep from thinking about what these kids - especially the sophomores - have been through and done."
Haden was able to pair his three soon-to-be graduates, Nathan Hansen, Kamrin Chizek and Raymond Wiegand, in spots so they would throw the last frames of the day. Hansen had a strike, Chizek scored a nine and Wiegand a strike before finishing with a 9-spare roll.
"They went out on a pretty good note," Haden said. "We wanted to get them that national title and came up just short. And (this weekend) we were right there to advance. We were sitting in third at one point but we had a bad frame and couldn't make up for it."
Wiegand placed 16th overall in singles this past Friday, firing a total of 1,162. That number ranked first among all junior college bowlers at the meet, which also included NCAA and NAIA athletes.
Jordan Pelant was 22nd overall, Dave Weaver 44th, Jacob Kraft 76th, Hansen 95th, Justin Graves 113th, Mason Stokes 118th and Chizek 123rd.
"We fought and fought and fought," Haden said. "We've been real close these past few years to advancing to finals."
Hansen is set to attend William Penn University in the fall while Wiegand and Chizek are not planning on continuing to bowl at the next level.
"I was able to record those final throws for them, which is something I always try to do if I can," Haden said. "It's special being able to see them compete like that one final time."
-By Dana Becker