O'Keefe Announces Jax State's Inaugural Bowling Roster
8/8/2023 2:20:00 PM | Bowling
JACKSONVILLE – With the inaugural season for the Jacksonville State women's bowling team right around the corner, head coach Shannon O'Keefe has finalized her first Gamecocks roster.
O'Keefe, who was named Jax State's first bowling coach in May, wasted no time in building a roster that she feels can compete in Conference USA and for a national championship right away. She came to Jacksonville from powerhouse McKendree, where she won four national titles in her nine-year tenure.
She will have nine bowlers on her 2023-24 roster, six players that joined her in Jacksonville from McKendree, an All-American transfer from Nebraska and two freshmen that will start their collegiate careers with the Gamecocks. Jax State's inaugural roster will be comprised of three graduate students, two seniors, two juniors and two freshmen.
O'Keefe's 2022-23 McKendree team finished the season ranked No. 1 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Power Index and third in the final poll of the season. Six of the Bearcats' top eight bowlers from last season will compete for O'Keefe at Jax State this fall. Joining her from McKendree are graduate students Rebecca Hagerman and Maranda Pattison, seniors Kayla Smith and Isabel Allen and juniors Keyla Covarrubias and Anna Warkel.
Also transferring in is former Nebraska standout Crystal Elliott. A two-time NTCA First-Team All-American and the 2021 NTCA Bowler of the Year for the Huskers, Elliott comes to the Gamecocks as a graduate student and will compete in her last season for O'Keefe and Jax State.
The NTCA's Player Composite Performance Index featured four current Gamecocks in its Top 13 players in the nation last season. Elliott ranked fourth in the PCPI last season, while Pattison was seventh, Allen eighth and Hagerman 13th. Four of Jax State's new players were named All-Americans a year ago, with Elliott grabbing First-Team honors at Nebraska and Allen, Pattison and Hagerman earning All-America honors at McKendree.
Two freshmen will begin their collegiate careers for the Gamecocks in 2023-24. Dannielle Henderson comes to Jax State from Florissant, Mo., while Olivia Felner signed out of Eaton, N.Y.
Meet the 2023-24 Gamecocks
Crystal Elliott
GR / Palm Bay, Fla. / Nebraska
Bowled three seasons at Nebraska before transferring to Jax State…two-time NTCA First-Team (2021,2023) and the 2021 NTCA Bowler of the Year…led the Huskers to the 2021 National Championship and was the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship Match…in 2023, ranked fourth nationally in scoring average with a 21.157 average per frame and third in the nation with a 56.8% strike percentage…bowled her freshman season at Duquesne…a two-time Junior Team USA member (2018, 2020) and won four gold medals in the 2019 Tournament of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla…she has six top-five finishes at the U.S. Teen Masters, including a runner-up finish in 2017 and earned a pair of top-five finishes at the U.S. High School Bowling Championships.
Rebecca Hagerman
GR / Love Park, Ill. / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous four seasons…was an NTCA Third-Team All-American in 2022-23 after earning Second-Team All-America honors in 2021-22…also a two-time Central All-Region and All-GLVC selection for the Bearcats…led McKendree to the 2022 NCAA Championship and the 2023 ITC Championship…named the 2022 and 2023 GLVC Spring Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a two-time recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award…four-time NTCA Scholar-Athlete…in 2022-23, fourth in the nation with a 56.0% strike percentage and eighth in scoring average with a 20.922 average per frame...is currently a member of Team USA.
Maranda Pattison
GR / Redwood Valley, Calif. / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent the previous four seasons…an NCBCA First Team All-American and a Second-Team All-American by the NTCA as a senior for McKendree in 2022-23 after earning Third-Team All-America honors from the NTCA in 2020-21…a three-time First-Team All-GLVC and All-Central Region bowler, led the Bearcats to a pair of National titles in four seasons…also an All-Region, Academic All-GLVC and NTCA All-Academic honoree…in 2022-23, was fourth in the nation in scoring average with a 21.114 average per frame and sixth with a 55.4% strike percentage…in 2020-21 led the nation in single pin spare conversion at 97.3%.
Isabel Allen
SR / Tamworth, England / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous three seasons…as a junior in 2022-23 for the Bearcats, named Second-Team All-America by both the NTCA and the NCBCA after earning Honorable Mention All-America honors as a freshman in 2020-21…finished third at the Intercollegiate Single Championships in 2021…helped the Bearcats to the 2022 NCAA National title and the 2023 ITC Championship…named the NTCA Rookie of the Year and the GLVC Freshman of the Year after the 2020-21 season, when she was also named to the NCAA All-Freshman Team…a First-Team All-GLVC honoree…in 2022-23, had the seventh-best scoring average in the nation with a 20.944 average per frame…a member of England's National Team.
Kayla Smith
SR / Salem, Ill. / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State after spending four seasons at McKendree University…helped lead the Bearcats to two National Championships in four seasons…the recipient of the 2022-23 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award…boasted a 20.41scoring average per frame during the 2022-23 season, playing a key role in guiding McKendree to the 2023 ITC Championship…named to numerous all-tournament teams, including at the NCAA Final Four in 2021.
Keyla Covarrubias
JR / Mexico City, Mexico / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous three seasons…helped the Bearcats to the 2022 NCAA National Championship and the 2023 ITC Championship…in 2022-23, posted a scoring average of 19.76 per frame…a member of Mexico's Youth National Team.
Anna Warkel
JR / Cedar Rapids, Iowa / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous two seasons…helped the Bearcats to the 2022 NCAA Championship and the 2023 ITC Championship…tied for 18th place at the Intercollegiate Singles Championship…prior to starting her collegiate career, won the 2020 Iowa Class 3A State Championship, setting the 3A State Tournament record with a 513 in the process…finished in the Top 15 at Junior Gold in 2022.
Olivia Fehlner
FR / Eaton, N.Y. / Morrisville-Eaton CSD
Joins the Jax State bowling program after a successful high school career at Morrisville-Eaton…led her high school team to the New York Section 3 Class C-D Team title and earned All-Mohawk Valley honors…competing in junior gold and made her state composite team…won a gold medal at the Storm Youth Championship.
Dannielle Henderson
FR / Florissant, Mo. / Pattonville HS
Joins the Jax State bowling program after a successful high school career at Pattonville High School in Missouri…finished first in the Missouri State Championships…finished in the Top 40 in Junior Gold…has competed in several big events, including the Storm Youth Championships and three PWBA Regionals…has won various local tournaments.
O'Keefe, who was named Jax State's first bowling coach in May, wasted no time in building a roster that she feels can compete in Conference USA and for a national championship right away. She came to Jacksonville from powerhouse McKendree, where she won four national titles in her nine-year tenure.
She will have nine bowlers on her 2023-24 roster, six players that joined her in Jacksonville from McKendree, an All-American transfer from Nebraska and two freshmen that will start their collegiate careers with the Gamecocks. Jax State's inaugural roster will be comprised of three graduate students, two seniors, two juniors and two freshmen.
O'Keefe's 2022-23 McKendree team finished the season ranked No. 1 in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) Power Index and third in the final poll of the season. Six of the Bearcats' top eight bowlers from last season will compete for O'Keefe at Jax State this fall. Joining her from McKendree are graduate students Rebecca Hagerman and Maranda Pattison, seniors Kayla Smith and Isabel Allen and juniors Keyla Covarrubias and Anna Warkel.
Also transferring in is former Nebraska standout Crystal Elliott. A two-time NTCA First-Team All-American and the 2021 NTCA Bowler of the Year for the Huskers, Elliott comes to the Gamecocks as a graduate student and will compete in her last season for O'Keefe and Jax State.
The NTCA's Player Composite Performance Index featured four current Gamecocks in its Top 13 players in the nation last season. Elliott ranked fourth in the PCPI last season, while Pattison was seventh, Allen eighth and Hagerman 13th. Four of Jax State's new players were named All-Americans a year ago, with Elliott grabbing First-Team honors at Nebraska and Allen, Pattison and Hagerman earning All-America honors at McKendree.
Two freshmen will begin their collegiate careers for the Gamecocks in 2023-24. Dannielle Henderson comes to Jax State from Florissant, Mo., while Olivia Felner signed out of Eaton, N.Y.
Meet the 2023-24 Gamecocks
Crystal Elliott
GR / Palm Bay, Fla. / Nebraska
Bowled three seasons at Nebraska before transferring to Jax State…two-time NTCA First-Team (2021,2023) and the 2021 NTCA Bowler of the Year…led the Huskers to the 2021 National Championship and was the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship Match…in 2023, ranked fourth nationally in scoring average with a 21.157 average per frame and third in the nation with a 56.8% strike percentage…bowled her freshman season at Duquesne…a two-time Junior Team USA member (2018, 2020) and won four gold medals in the 2019 Tournament of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla…she has six top-five finishes at the U.S. Teen Masters, including a runner-up finish in 2017 and earned a pair of top-five finishes at the U.S. High School Bowling Championships.
Rebecca Hagerman
GR / Love Park, Ill. / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous four seasons…was an NTCA Third-Team All-American in 2022-23 after earning Second-Team All-America honors in 2021-22…also a two-time Central All-Region and All-GLVC selection for the Bearcats…led McKendree to the 2022 NCAA Championship and the 2023 ITC Championship…named the 2022 and 2023 GLVC Spring Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a two-time recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 Award…four-time NTCA Scholar-Athlete…in 2022-23, fourth in the nation with a 56.0% strike percentage and eighth in scoring average with a 20.922 average per frame...is currently a member of Team USA.
Maranda Pattison
GR / Redwood Valley, Calif. / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent the previous four seasons…an NCBCA First Team All-American and a Second-Team All-American by the NTCA as a senior for McKendree in 2022-23 after earning Third-Team All-America honors from the NTCA in 2020-21…a three-time First-Team All-GLVC and All-Central Region bowler, led the Bearcats to a pair of National titles in four seasons…also an All-Region, Academic All-GLVC and NTCA All-Academic honoree…in 2022-23, was fourth in the nation in scoring average with a 21.114 average per frame and sixth with a 55.4% strike percentage…in 2020-21 led the nation in single pin spare conversion at 97.3%.
Isabel Allen
SR / Tamworth, England / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous three seasons…as a junior in 2022-23 for the Bearcats, named Second-Team All-America by both the NTCA and the NCBCA after earning Honorable Mention All-America honors as a freshman in 2020-21…finished third at the Intercollegiate Single Championships in 2021…helped the Bearcats to the 2022 NCAA National title and the 2023 ITC Championship…named the NTCA Rookie of the Year and the GLVC Freshman of the Year after the 2020-21 season, when she was also named to the NCAA All-Freshman Team…a First-Team All-GLVC honoree…in 2022-23, had the seventh-best scoring average in the nation with a 20.944 average per frame…a member of England's National Team.
Kayla Smith
SR / Salem, Ill. / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State after spending four seasons at McKendree University…helped lead the Bearcats to two National Championships in four seasons…the recipient of the 2022-23 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award…boasted a 20.41scoring average per frame during the 2022-23 season, playing a key role in guiding McKendree to the 2023 ITC Championship…named to numerous all-tournament teams, including at the NCAA Final Four in 2021.
Keyla Covarrubias
JR / Mexico City, Mexico / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous three seasons…helped the Bearcats to the 2022 NCAA National Championship and the 2023 ITC Championship…in 2022-23, posted a scoring average of 19.76 per frame…a member of Mexico's Youth National Team.
Anna Warkel
JR / Cedar Rapids, Iowa / McKendree
Transferred to Jax State from McKendree University, where she spent her previous two seasons…helped the Bearcats to the 2022 NCAA Championship and the 2023 ITC Championship…tied for 18th place at the Intercollegiate Singles Championship…prior to starting her collegiate career, won the 2020 Iowa Class 3A State Championship, setting the 3A State Tournament record with a 513 in the process…finished in the Top 15 at Junior Gold in 2022.
Olivia Fehlner
FR / Eaton, N.Y. / Morrisville-Eaton CSD
Joins the Jax State bowling program after a successful high school career at Morrisville-Eaton…led her high school team to the New York Section 3 Class C-D Team title and earned All-Mohawk Valley honors…competing in junior gold and made her state composite team…won a gold medal at the Storm Youth Championship.
Dannielle Henderson
FR / Florissant, Mo. / Pattonville HS
Joins the Jax State bowling program after a successful high school career at Pattonville High School in Missouri…finished first in the Missouri State Championships…finished in the Top 40 in Junior Gold…has competed in several big events, including the Storm Youth Championships and three PWBA Regionals…has won various local tournaments.
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