Panthers sweep WAC bowling honors
BY BRETT MARSHALL
Few bowling programs in Kansas high school have enjoyed as much success in recent years as the Great Bend Lady Panthers.
Since bowling became a varsity sport in 2007, the Lady Panthers have had their share of celebrations at the end of the winter seasons.
Recently, the Panthers, under sixth-year coach David Feldbauer captured their third straight and ninth overall Western Athletic Conference championship while junior Zoey Mayberry claimed the WAC Girls’ Bowler of the Year Award with the highest average.
The Panthers were able to hold off perennial rival Garden City and clinched the 2025 crown on the final dual match of the year against the Lady Buffaloes, eventually scoring 95 of a possible 104 points while Garden City finished with 80 points. It was 82-80 going into the final match.
“There is a lot that goes into the success of the program,” Feldbauer said. “Historically, we’ve had a good middle school program that runs exactly the way we run the high school program. We get great support from the local bowling establishment, and we’ve had some great teachers of the game for the kids.”
Each pre-season, Feldbauer puts his squad through an extensive qualifying trial to determine the six varsity sports while also maintaining a junior varsity squad.
“Everybody who is out for the team will make it somewhere,” Feldbauer said. “We have about 25-30 kids out while the middle school will have about 20. There is a Saturday youth program and I’d like to think we have some good local coaches who help the kids get better.”
After coaching Kaylin Wahlmeier for four years in which she won a 5-1A individual state championship and led the Panthers to consecutive state team titles (2023-2024), Feldbauer turned to his newest star in junior Zoey Mayberry to lead the team.
She came through in spades as capturing the WAC Bowler of the Year with a 191.9 average, finishing seven pins ahead of runner-up Kyleigh Whitehurst of Garden City.
Feldbauer also had Mayberry’s younger sister, Brooklynn, occupy the No. 5 spot on the all-WAC first team with a 149.1 average and then Emery Meza (139.8) and Abigail Alvarez (128.8) taking the Nos. 8 and 10 positions on the second team.
Whitehurst led a contingent of three bowlers from the Lady Buffaloes named to the first team. Junior Chloe Carr returned after missing a year due to a leg injury and averaged 167.2 and sophomore Morgan Schweder was fourth with a 158.3 average before sustaining an injury that ended her season two weeks early.
Feldbauer says the sport, like many others, has seen big technology advancements over the past decade.
“The equipment is much better and you can get different balls that react differently to lane conditions,” Feldbauer said. “Everybody does something different and you can tech how to throw correctly. I”m proud of what our girls have accomplished over time.”
Feldbauer said this year’s squad, which failed to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2020, was not as deep as others in previous seasons. However, it was still good enough to plow through the WAC double round-robin dual format.
“Bowling on different sets of lanes is a challenge, but I think it always helps us at the end of the year when we are in post-season,” Feldbauer said. “This year’s team was young and didn’t have as much experience, so I would think we will be improved next year.”
Feldbauer said he’s proud of what his girls have accomplished due mainly to the challenge of bowling in different establishments with different lane conditions.
“The WAC is the hardest place to bowl,” Feldbauer said. “You have to accept that some days might be a rough day but you have to battle through the mental game and not get too down on yourself.”
Her motivation to become a better bowler comes from different places, and perhaps that is why Zoey Mayberry has enjoyed a measure of success in her three seasons of high school bowling for the Great Bend Lady Panthers.
Her latest accomplishment came when she clinched the 2025 Western Athletic Conference Girls’ Bowler of the Year award by maintaining the highest average per game of 191.88 over the eight-match schedule this winter.
That average enabled her to finish ahead of her biggest challenger, Garden City’s Kyleigh Whitehurst who averaged 184.5.
The award is something that Mayberry, a junior, was well aware of from her freshman and sophomore campaigns when teammate Kaylin Wahlmeier captured the award in back-to-back seasons
Wahlmeier, a former state champions (Class 5-1A) has been a mentor, teammate and friend to Mayberry and one she credits for much of her success.
“Winning this feels amazing, but I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support I’ve had from Kaylin, my coaches, my teammates, friends and family,” Mayberry said. “I’ve improved a lot from my freshman year, and I just hope to continue to work on getting better.”
Mayberry said her season goal was to never have a 3-game series total below 500. She accomplished that with a low of 518 and a high of 661 at the Great Plains Invitational in Wichita at Bowlero-Northrock Lanes, site of the state tournament.
“Bowling in the Western Kansas lanes you’re on wood lanes and they are challenging because they break down and you have to make quick adjustments,” Mayberry said. “You have to be consistently practicing to be sure you understand the conditions.”
Her big improvement, she said, came in shooting for spares.
“Coach has us practice this for about half of each day we practice,” Mayberry said. “My grandpa has this saying — ‘If you make your spares, the strikes will come.’ I think this is the area where I made the biggest improvement and it shows.”
Mayberry said she focuses on the 7 and 10-pins for practice as they are the most difficult.
“The 10-pin is my enemy because you have to go cross alley,” Mayberry said. “You have to hit your spot within a board or you will be in the gutter or just miss to the left.”
Feldbauer said that Mayberry’s improvement has been gradual, but steady and still sees better days ahead.
“She’s a student of the science of bowling,” Feldbauer said. “She’s worked really hard on the 7-10 pin spares and she got her backswing straightened out and now throws more strikes.”
Mayberry closed out her WAC season at Garden Bowl, one of two establishments in Garden City, and after struggling with a 149, made adjustments and then bowled 224-257 to finish with a 630 series and claim her WAC title.
“I worked really hard to get here,” Mayberry said. “Early, I don’t think I gave it a lot of thought. But midway through the season I knew if I bowled well, I would have a chance.”
FIRST TEAM WAC
GREAT BEND—Zoey Mayberry, 191.8; Brooklynn Mayberry, 149.7
GARDEN CITY—Kyleigh Whitehurst, 167.2; Chloe Carr, 167.2; Morgan Schweder, 158.3
HAYS—Loucinda Meade, 141.7
WAC BOWLER—Zoey Mayberry, Great Bend
WAC COACH—David Feldbauer, Great Bend
SECOND TEAM WAC
GREAT BEND—Emery Meza, 139.8; Abigail Alvarez, 128.8
GARDEN CITY—Kallie Messenger, 140.6
DODGE CITY—Shannon Bitler, 125.1
HAYS—Alleena Acheson, 132.8
LIBERAL—Shelby Christmann, 126.7
