East Islip girls finish fifth in state Division I bowling tournament
East Islip’s Dakota Collins rolled a 1,312 in six games, the second best series of the state tournament on Friday, March 14, 2025. Credit: Marilu Lopez Fretts
East Islip wasn’t satisfied with a second-place finish at the state championship a year ago and worked all year to give themselves another opportunity to compete.
East Islip finished in fifth place with 5,706 pins, at the state Division I girls bowling championship at Strike ‘N Spare Lanes in Syracuse on Friday. North Rockland (Section I) placed first with 5,915 pins.
“It was a big motivator for us, but it was difficult to get back here,” Dakota Collins said. “We managed to come together and do it one more time.”
Collins had the second highest series of the competition, rolling a 1,312 in six games. The senior’s 263 in Game 3 was the third highest.
“I walked in here with a lot of confidence after Thursday's practice,” Collins said. “I really wanted to do well, but most importantly I wanted to help my team.”
Junior Makalya Boyd had a 1,204 series, sophomore Meeya Leaderman rolled a 1,064 and junior Brooke Andresen had a 1,062.
Leaderman (213.277), Andresen (213.166) and Collins (206.833) finished with the top three averages in Suffolk. Leaderman raised her average by 45 pins from last season, allowing East Islip to repeat as county champions.
“They didn’t like the results at states last year and worked as hard as they could all year to get back,” East Islip coach Rob Sconone said. “They gave their best effort today and unfortunately we didn’t get the breaks we needed.”
MacArthur totaled 4,773 pins in six games, placing 10th. Despite the disappointing finish, the Generals participation in the competition felt like a success.
“Last year we finished in second at the county tournament and over the past 10 years, the team has finished second, four times,” MacArthur coach Chris Leahy said. “This was the group that finally got us over the top, everyone took huge leaps this year."
Abby Buenaventura had a 1,069 series, with a high game of 212 in Game 3. Holland Boder bowled a 1,033 series, with a 202 in Game 2.
“We know what it’s like to get so close to the finish line and not be able to pull it off,” Buenaventura said. “It felt amazing to break the cycle of coming up short in counties and have the opportunity to come up here as a team.”
Buenaventura and Boder will represent Nassau in the composite championship on Saturday, while Andresen, Collins and Leaderman will represent Suffolk.
“It was helpful to get a sense of the lanes today,” Buenaventura said. “I’m sure it’ll help us out tomorrow.”
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.
