{"id":512,"date":"2015-07-31T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2015-07-31T17:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=512"},"modified":"2017-12-11T09:13:21","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T15:13:21","slug":"branka-named-inaugural-womens-bowling-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/branka-named-inaugural-womens-bowling-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Branka Named Inaugural Women’s Bowling Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Brandi Branka<\/b>\u00a0will serve as the inaugural coach\u00a0head coach for the Saints women\u2019s bowling team. The team begins its first season of competition during the 2015-16 academic year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to growing a successful program,” Branka said. “I’m excited to become Ä¢¹½´«Ã½’s first women’s bowling coach and can’t wait to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Branka is currently ranked as the top female bowler in the state of Illinois with a 226 average.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Branka, who hails from Momence, Ill., bowled collegiately at McKendree University and currently plays on the Professional Women\u2019s Bowling Tour. She is currently ranked as the top female bowler in the state of Illinois with a 226 average, according to the national bowling website leaguesecretary.com.<\/p>\n

In her final season at McKendree, Branka helped the Bearcats finish fifth at the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships. She also qualified for the individual national championship that season. At the Western Illinois Leatherneck Classic, Branka won the individual title. She also finished second overall out of 166 bowlers at the National Collegiate Team Match Games. Branka graduated from McKendree in May 2013 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in health and wellness. After graduation, she served one season as an assistant coach for the Bearcats women\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

Student-athletes who are interested in joining the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ women\u2019s bowling team should contact coach Branka at bbranka@maryville.edu<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

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