Thomas Jefferson sweeps 3A bowling titles

For the first time in school history, the Thomas Jefferson High School Lady Raiders bowling team reached the mountaintop of 3A state bowling, winning their first state championship Feb. 6 at Bowlero in Tukwila.

It was a moment that Head Coach Joe Townsend still can’t find the words for.

“I’ve been trying to think of the words (to describe the feeling) since yesterday when the door opened. You get young people as freshmen and as you go on, they are your kids. Watching them develop on the lanes and as young people, I don’t have words to explain how happy I am for them,” Townsend said after the trophy presentation.

Day one of the tournament, Thomas Jefferson was rolling. But no one was playing better than Samiyah Gildon. The four-year letterman won the individual state title on the first day, and as her teammates and coaches watched on, she shined in the moment.

“I can’t say enough about her and who she has become. I’m so proud of her,” Townsend said.

Last season, Gildon finished 11th with a 1,052 total pin count at the state tournament. This year, after her six games, she finished with 1,173 (195.5 average).

“I didn’t think I had a chance of getting it. Getting it as an individual was crazy,” Gildon said.

In terms of what she was most proud of, it was the team win.

“We all knew it would happen. We worked way harder to get it as a team. It was more rewarding to be honest,” said Gildon.

She wasn’t the only Raider who bowled well — she also had her teammates atop the leaderboards. Two other Thomas Jefferson bowlers finished inside the top six, and since 2001, that has never happened before in the 3A state tournament.

Lyla Smith and Alena McDugle finished fifth and sixth, respectively. McDugle finished inside the top 10 for the second straight season, but seeing someone win after she had played four years with her was something special.

“I was ecstatic about it. I was glad I could be here to be a part of it,” McDugle said.

Smith is the opposite. She started bowling just two seasons ago and now has a fifth place finish to cap her high school resume.

“She’s a softball player. But she does it because of the sisterhood with these young ladies. She bowls and almost bowled everyone out,” Townsend said.

At the end of the individual competition, the Raiders had a pin count of 5,326 and ended the day in first place. The defending champions Kennewick were 506 pins behind.

Of the six games, the Raiders had three totals of over 900 pins — no other team had one game over 900.

Day two consisted of 14 Baker games, where the team of five bowlers split up one game into two frames per player.

Emily Kropp is the third senior of the trio that carried the Raiders this season. She takes on the role of opening bowler for the Raiders. She’s not one of many words, so her bowling acumen does all the talking.

“She’s a silent assassin. She’s such a perfectionist,” Townsend said.

Kropp, McDugle and Gildon all have a special bond as the three of them began bowling as ninth-graders. Now four years later, they bowled their last frame, but went out as champions.

“They mean a lot (McDugle and Gildon). We all push each other to be better bowlers. It’s awesome we were able to do this all four years and in our fourth year we finally came out on top,” Kropp said.

When all was said and done, the Raiders finished with a grand total of 7,805 pins and defeated Kennewick by 1,017 pins.

Through the Baker games, Thomas Jefferson didn’t skip a beat. They combined for three games over 200, and just one school out of the other 11 had a game in the 200s.

For spectators, the team that looks like they are having the most fun is Thomas Jefferson. They are loud, and they are constantly smiling and laughing. But once the ball gets put in their hands, they flip the switch. Townsend has described his squad as “assassins on the lanes.”

There were multiple games where the Raiders would score around a 70 or so through the first six frames, then on multiple occasions, they would go on a three to four strike run — completely changing the tide of the game and putting momentum back in their favor.

“These young ladies remain calm when things get crazy and they figure out the equation to the problem. They perfect the answer and this is the result,” Townsend said.

“We work well under pressure,” Gildon said.

“That, along with the family atmosphere, helps us keep pushing through everything and stay together and bowl better,” McDugle added.

The Raider culture at the bowling alley is infectious. The chants and cheers ring wherever they travel. Of course some onlookers give some side eye here or there. But the looks don’t phase the Raiders.

“We’ll get some looks from certain teams when we get loud. But we get loud for a reason. I mean we are state champs. We have a right to be loud. We aren’t trying to be cocky. But we want people to know we are the best team here,” said freshman Laylah Tiquiah

The entire varsity roster are seniors for Townsend, except one. Tiquiah finished her freshman year with a 12th place finish in the individual competition. Tiquiah had never been on a bowling team before, but quickly became a part of the Raiders and was engulfed by her upper-class leaders, whom she will miss dearly.

“This team is the only team I could have asked for as a freshman,” Tiquiah said.

Tiquiah brings a lot of energy that her teammates all echo. The Raiders are in good hands, and Townsend knows that his soon to be sophomore will get the Raiders right back.

“We have to hit the reset button and bring four new young ladies into the fold. She’s going to work with them and push them to be better and she’s gonna be like a third coach… I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re right back here as a team,” Townsend said.

The state titles are number 13 and 14 for Thomas Jefferson as a school, and its first state title since 2019. Many students at Thomas Jefferson still don’t even know that the Raiders have a bowling team or that it is as good as it is. But that is changing: “We are like the hidden sport at TJ. We do all this work to get overshadowed … But they are becoming more aware that we exist,” Gildon said.

Gildon and McDugle are set to bowl in college. They are joining a handful of bowlers from Washington state to bowl at the collegiate level. The pair of Raiders don’t see themselves as setting the standards or being trailblazers, but more as an outlet or opportunity for other Raiders to know what is possible.

“It’s about showing what you really can do. Just showing the potential in everyone. If you put in the work, it really shows what you can do,” McDugle said.

Thomas Jefferson now prepares to head to the U.S. High School Bowling National Championship from June 7-9 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Raiders have taken teams to the national tournament before, but have not gone in as champions.

“I’m excited. I don’t know what to expect. But I am excited,” said Kropp.