The Sojourn Athlete of the Week, presented by Amplify Media, is junior Carla Diamond, a standout IWU Women’s Bowling member.
Although the women’s bowling team is relatively new on campus, Diamond has been honoring her skills for years. Hailing from Caledonia, OH, Diamond attended River Valley High School.
Diamond’s journey in collegiate athletics started when IWU introduced the addition of bowling as a competitive sport. She decided to further her bowling career and academic pursuits.
The success of the other sports sparked the idea for IWU to add a Men’s and Women’s bowling program in the 2021 academic year. Both programs have built a solid foundation and experienced growth soon to be a dominant force in the Crossroads League.
“The girls put together another good tournament, topping their pinfall over the last tournament by a few pins. Great to see a fast start again and the ability to compete with the top teams in the conference for the early portion of the day,” Head Coach Carl Knowles said. “Carla Diamond had a nice 178 in game four and threw some really good shots for us all day.”
Reflecting on the previous year, Diamond remarked on the difficulties of being a collegiate athlete and the consistency of bowling. She noted the significant personal growth and change in perspective that occurred during that time.
“It was by far the best season since being on the team and getting much closer with my teammates and the men’s team,” Diamond said.
Diamond emphasized the shift in focus this year by the coaching staff towards fostering emotional involvement and community within the team. Activities such as spiritual worship and shared meals at tournaments have strengthened the team bond.
As Diamond and her teammates finished the season, the emphasis going into next year is buying into the program and its philosophy.
“The best matches that we have had individually and as a team are the ones where we were having fun and making good memories,” Diamond explained.
The IWU women’s bowling team finished the season in the Crossroads league tournament but fell short of making it to the league’s championship.
