Experienced Suffolk All-Stars capture state Division I girls bowling composite title
The Suffolk All-Star girls bowling team starts the party after their victory in the state Division I composite championships in Syracuse on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Credit: Nick Soccocio
Two pins and then 23 pins have been the difference between the Suffolk girls all-star team taking first place at the state championship in the past two seasons.
An experienced group, with five of the six bowlers having been a part of one of the previous two teams, finally broke through. The Suffolk all-stars knocked down 6,624 pins to win the state Division I girls bowling composite championship at Strike N’ Spare Lanes in Syracuse on Saturday. Section II finished in second with 6,486 pins.
“I’m ecstatic. I’m in shock and denial at the same time, I can’t believe it,” Trishna Desai said. “Last year we led after five games and got overly confident. This time we got together and kept motivating each other to let nothing get in our way.”
East Islip’s Dakota Collins had the second-highest series of the event with a 1,363 and the third-highest game, with a 269 in Game 3. Smithtown’s Desai finished with the fourth-highest series, a 1,357, including a high game of 247 in Game 5.
East Islip’s Meeya Leaderman, who had the highest average on Long Island (213.277), had a 1,307 series and a 246 high game in Game 2. The sophomore made her first appearance as a member of the all-star team.
“I’m grateful to be a part of this. Everyone is so good, I just wanted to do my part and not let them down,” Leaderman said. “It’s unreal, we all put in so much work to see this outcome.”
East Islip’s Brooke Andresen had a 1,235 series, Longwood’s Kaylee Dwyer had a 1,222 series and her Longwood teammate Ava Mazzela had a 1,178 series.
The team shot 1,032 in Game 1 and trailed by 101 pins. In Game 3 they knocked down 1,229 pins to take the lead and were the only team to shoot a 1,200 or more in a game at the competition. Their 6,624 pins were a 269-pin improvement over last season.
“Not all of us did our best in the first game and we knew we had a lot of pins to make up,” Desai said. “Even in the fifth game, we knew we were in the lead, but we wanted to make sure no one could catch up to us.”
East Meadow’s Amanda Morris finished with a 1,286 series and a 249 in Game 2, as the Nassau all-star team knocked down 6,027 pins to finish sixth. The team improved on its seventh-place finish from last season, with over 400 more pins.
“I’m happy to be able to end my high school career on a positive note,” Morris said. “Going to states one time is rare, let alone the four times I’ve been able to. I’m beyond grateful for all the experiences.”
MacArthur’s Abby Buenaventura had a 1,188 series and a 227 in Game 4 and Sewanhaka’s Jayla Phillips had a 1,154 series, with a 235 in Game 6.
In the first year of the Division II competition, the Nassau all-stars had a 5,592-pin total to take sixth place. Seaford’s Ava Caruso had a 1,232 series and a 226 in Game 2.
Seaford’s Megan Reder had a 1,144 series and a 224 in Game 3 and Island Trees’ Kaitlyn Lesica had a 1,042 series and a 210 in Game 5.
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.