OMAHA, Neb. – The College of Saint Mary bowling team will showcase a wide range of talent this weekend when the Flames kick off the 2024-25 campaign.

CSM opens the season at the Hammer Golden Eagle Invite in Rockford, Ill. The two-day event starts Saturday and concludes Sunday.

Leading the way for the Flames will be senior returners Jennica Soar and Kaitlyn Dickmeyer along with sophomore transfer Emily Merten.

"Jennica is looking strong in practice with her form and throw," CSM Coach Corrinne Johnson said. "She is focusing on her spare shooting and hopes to improve her percentage on the 7 pin by our first tournament. Kaitlyn has been focusing on footing and arrow drills in practice and is looking to be one of our stronger bowlers for tournament play."

Merten, who bowled for Mount Mercy University after high school and then transferred to CSM in the spring of 2024, has been named the team captain.

"Emily is a great addition to our team," Johnson said. "She comes with a lot of experience and knowledge of the game. She's great at keeping the team focused on and off the lanes. I anticipate her to be one of our leading bowlers throughout the season."

Adding to the mix will be two recruited freshmen that Johnson calls "seasoned bowlers" and two student-athletes that are new to the sport of bowling.

"One of our strengths this year will be how well the team is meshing with each other," Johnson said. "We have a wide range of skill level and bowling knowledge, but the returners have stepped up and helped coach the new bowlers.

"I see in practice the effort everyone is putting in from their pre-practice stretching to drills to spare shooting – everyone is giving 100 percent. They have great communication on the lanes and are talking to each other about how a lane is reacting and how to respond to it and suggesting where to stand and throw the ball to improve spare shooting."

Johnson said the initial areas for improvement will be the inexperience within the squad and stamina.

"I expect the inexperience of our new bowlers to be an area of weakness early on, but I am confident that they will improve as the season progresses," she said. "Stamina will be another area that will challenge the team in the beginning of the season. A typical tournament consists of bowling five games on the first day and then bowling 16-20 Baker games the second day, plus possibly match play. The long hours and throwing the bowling ball multiple times will tire them out and it may take a couple tournaments until everyone can find their groove."

The Flames have 11 tournaments on this year's schedule including the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships. This is the first year CSM will be competing in the KCAC for bowling.

Johnson is looking forward to seeing what the Flames can accomplish this season and is confident there will progress between this weekend and the end of the season.