By Paul Suellentrop

Jazreel Tan arrived at Wichita State with significant talent and a work ethic that made her into a consistently excellent bowler.

She was, however, unconvinced about the importance of the mental game. Developing the mind is one of the hallmarks of Shocker bowling and that emphasis gave Tan the push needed to grow into a three-time Bowling Writers Association of America Collegiate Bowler of the Year.

"She consistently played at such a high level," said Mark Lewis, director of Shocker bowling. "She pushed herself. Her expectations were at such a high level."

Tan, a member of the 2026 class of the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame, earned first team All-American and academic All-American honors four times during her career from 2009-13. She was also named 2011 BWAA Amateur Bowler of the Year. As a professional, she won the PWBA Lubbock Sports Open and finished third in the US. Women's Open in 2015.

Bowling for Singapore's national team, she bowled for the silver-medal team in the 2017 World Bowling Championships and the 2014 Asian Games. Tan retired from bowling in 2024 to recover from injury and illness, although she says she may consider a return.

Former Shocker assistant coach Pat Henry coached in Singapore and helped connect Tan with Wichita State. Coach Gordon Vadakin and Lewis introduced her to the importance of preparing her mind as well as her body.

"I had a good foundation," she said. "They helped me fine-tune. The mental game – Coach Vadakin focuses on that a lot. That took me to another level."

WSU's routine for working on the psyche includes meetings, books and discussions. It did not take Tan long to see the importance of clarity, focus and patience.

"As the years went by and we read more and more books it really helped me to be present, to be all-in all the time," she said. "I learned to focus on the present."

Tan, who lives in Singapore, needed to be focused and organized during her time at Wichita State. In addition to the demands of school and Shocker bowling, she competed for Team Singapore.

"What a unique individual to keep up that kind of schedule," Lewis said. "She was a great student throughout that whole process."

The Shockers finished third in the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships (the WSU women's bowling team moved to NCAA status in 2024-25) in 2010, 2012 and 2013. Tan finished third individually in 2012 and 2013.

She loved the team camaraderie and fondly remembers the bowlers supporting each other during difficult times at tournaments. The shared purpose of competing at the top of the college bowling world sticks with her.

"What really upset me was not being able to bring home a national championship," she said. "We practice and we go to class, and we practice and we go to class. It takes a lot of discipline to get everything done. We all have a common goal. We all wanted to fight for the same thing."

Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame weekend 

 A dinner is set for 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the Aetna Multipurpose Center at Charles Koch Arena, while the induction ceremony is scheduled for halftime of Wichita State's Feb. 14 (6 p.m.) men's basketball game against Tulsa.
 
Cost for the dinner is $50 per person, and paid reservations can be made online at goshockers.com or by calling the Shocker Ticket Office at 316/978-FANS or in person at the WSU Ticket Office located on the south side of Charles Koch Arena.
 
The addition of this year's class brings the total of former coaches and student-athletes in the Hall of Fame to 168, while there are 14 at-large selections.