Women's Bowling | 1/16/2025 4:49:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
Sara Duque Jimenez thrives on the responsibility inherent in bowling.
The bowler, the ball and the pins. No one to help. No one to blame.
"It's you – and nobody else matters," she said. "It's so calm and simple."
Duque Jimenez, a sophomore from Medellin, Colombia, serves as Wichita State's anchor bowler and ranks among the NCAA leaders in several statistical categories. No. 7 Wichita State starts its spring schedule on Friday at the Northeast Classic in New Castle, Delaware. The 33-team field includes 22 of the top 25 teams and all in the top 10 of the National Tenpin Coaches Association poll.
Sara Duque Jimenez
This competition – the largest field of the season - will give the Shockers a preview of what it will take to do well in NCAA play in April.
Duque Jimenez will approach the tournament exactly as she does in practice at Shocker Lanes in the Rhatigan Student Center. That, coach
Holly Harris says, is one of the reasons for her success.
"What her makes unique from other bowlers is that she wants to figure it out and strike and be matched up all the time, not just when competition happens," Harris said. "Competition doesn't scare her or make her more nervous. She practices more than anybody else."
That focus in practice makes Duque Jimenez one of the nation's top bowlers. As a freshman, she won the Intercollegiate Singles Championship and helped the Shockers win their 11th Intercollegiate Team Championships.
Wichita State moved to the NCAA in 2024-25 and Jimenez continues to excel.
In December, she won the Colombian Team Trials to earn a spot on the adult national team. In October, she earned a spot on the all-tournament team at the Mid-States Classic. In November, she led the Shockers with a 214 average in the Ladyjack Classic and made the all-tournament team at the Colonial Lanes Classic.
"It went exactly as I expected," Harris said. "She handles change so well, because of her practice habits. It's just bowling when she puts on her shoes. We can be in different places and bowl different formats and, for her, it's still just throwing a ball down a lane, and she does that really well."
Duque Jimenez started bowling around age 7 in Medellin after watching her father bowl. Within roughly a year she bowled in a league.
Holly Harris
"At the beginning, I was just having fun," she said. "Then I was like 'Wow, I am good at this, and I want to be the best.' Then I got competitive."
Wichita State has a long association with Colombian bowlers. Clara Guerrero, a 2005-06 All-American for the Shockers, is a family friend and guided Jimenez to Wichita State. Guerrero, who bowls professionally, was named Colombia's 2009 Athlete of the Year. Rocio Restrepo, also an All-American at WSU, owns four titles on the PBWA Tour.
"I wanted to be like them," Duque Jimenez said. "(Guerrero) told me that here I could get better as a professional and a bowler. It was my best option."
Duque Jimenez said the positive tone set by coaches and teammates helps her mental game. The sport can grind away at her mood because she is so competitive. Wichita State's approach to eases her mind. Staying upbeat helps her put a mistake out of her mind quickly and focus on the next ball.
"I feel like I'm enjoying the game more," she said. "If you enjoy it, you're going to bowl great because you're loose. They've taught me I need to be more positive."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
