That included Westwood and Ishpeming-Negaunee bowlers taking all four of the slots by the time the event reached the semifinals, with the Patriots’ Olivia Letson emerging as the champion.

This was the final event of the season for the conference with MHSAA regional tournaments taking place on Friday and Saturday and the state finals the following weekend at downstate locations.

I-N and Marquette will be joined by UPBC members Escanaba, Iron Mountain and Calumet at the 12-school Division 2 regional being held in Gaylord; while Westwood, Gladstone and Menominee will be at the Division 3 regional at Cheboygan; and L’Anse will travel to a Division 4 regional at Lincoln Alcona.

Teams and individuals that finish near the top at regionals advance to the state finals at other centers in the Lower Peninsula. Team competition will be held each Friday and singles each Saturday.

Upper Peninsula Bowling Conference coaches chose a girls All-Upper Peninsula Dream Team at the conclusion of the Upper Peninsula Bowling Conference girls singles tournament held at the Bowl-O-Rama in Escanaba on Saturday. From left are Westwood junior Averie Vial, Ishpeming-Negaunee senior Miley Phillips, I-N senior Anna Salminen, I-N junior Sara Harvey and Westwood junior Olivia Letson. (Photo courtesy Holly Letson)

On Saturday in Escanaba, Letson and fellow championship match participant — and Westwood teammate — Averie Vial each were involved in a marathon day of bowling, rolling 14 games as the girls used the same format that the boys did a week earlier at River Rock Lanes in Ishpeming.

All 63 competitors in the girls finals rolled six games of qualifying, with the top 16 total scorers advancing to the knockout rounds of match play.

Each match was a two-game, total-pins match, and because four rounds of matches were needed to whittle the field down to one top bowler, that meant 14 games for the finalists.

Probably due to changing lane conditions — and maybe some fatigue after that many games — scores dipped just a little in the later matches.

In the finals, Letson outlasted Vial 317-298 for the title. Over her 14 games, Letson averaged 161.1, while Vial actually was just a bit higher at 164.9 a game.

Westwood teammates Olivia Letson, left, and Averie Vial hold their plaques after competing in the championship match in the Upper Peninsula Bowling Conference girls singles tournament at the Bowl-O-Rama in Escanaba on Saturday. Both rolling their 13th and 14th games of the day, Letson defeated Vial 317-298 in the finals as Letson was crowned champion and Vial runner-up. (Photo courtesy Holly Letson)

In qualifying, Letson finished third in the 63-bowler field with a six-game total of 986, a 164.3 average, while Vial was in the next spot, fourth, with 971, a 161.8 mean.

Each advanced through three matches to reach the finals. In the opening round, the No. 1 qualifier bowled against No. 16, No. 2 vs. No. 15, and so on.

Letson opened with a 305-299 win over No. 14 Hailey Cawley of Menominee, then defeated No. 6 Abby Ward of Iron Mountain 299-254 and then downed No. 2 Anna Salminen of Ishpeming-Negaunee 349-291 in the semifinals.

Vial’s path began with a 344-283 win over No. 13 Hayden Schetter of Marquette. Then she defeated No. 5 Chloe Roell of IM 351-258 and then took out I-N teammate and No. 8 Miley Phillips 345-292 in the semis.

In all, 10 of the 16 positions in match play were taken by Marquette County bowlers.

Westwood bowling head coach Barrie Rae, left, and assistant coach Steve DeBakker, right, flank the two championship match finalists who also happen to both be Patriots at the Upper Peninsula Bowling Conference girls singles tournament at the Bowl-O-Rama in Escanaba on Saturday. Second from left is champion Olivia Letson and second from right is runner-up Averie Vial. (Photo courtesy Holly Letson)

Schetter was Marquette’s lone representative in match play, finishing 13th in qualifying with 843, a 140.5 average. She then opened match play against Vial before bowing out.

I-N had the top two qualifiers. Sara Harvey was No. 1 with 1,025, a 170.8 average, and she began match play with a 404-314 victory over No. 16 Reanna Yagodzinski of Escanaba. Harvey had the only two-game score exceeding 400 throughout match play, which means a better than 200 average for her pair of games.

Harvey then bowed out after falling to teammate and No. 8 seed Miley Phillips 340-258.

Salminen was No. 2 qualifier with 1,005, a 167.5 average, which she followed up with two match wins before falling in the semis.

Salminen opened with a 379-316 win over teammate and No. 15 Annabelle Stakvel, then downed No. 7 Trina Cline of Westwood 349-277.

Cline’s seventh-best qualifying score was 897, a 149.5 average, as she opened match play with a 293-275 win over No. 10 Melanie Frank of Menominee before ending her run.

Phillips was the No. 8 qualifier at 875, a 145.8 average, as she opened match play with a 345-246 win over No. 9 Fara Bjork of Westwood, then knocked off the No. 1 qualifier Harvey before exiting in the semifinals.

Bjork came in at No. 9 with 867, a 144.5 average, and lost to Phillips in her match play opener.

No. 12 Cheyenne Larson of I-N rolled 846 in qualifying, a 141.0 average, before falling to IM’s Roell in her opening match, 275-262.

And No. 15 Stakvel shot 828 in qualifying, a 138.0 average, and bowed out in her opening match vs. Salminen.

Of the 15 matches in match play, only one didn’t involve a Marquette County bowler — in the opening round, No. 6 Abby Ward of IM defeated No. 11 Lauren Westenbroek of Gladstone 365-279.

These are the qualifying scores of the six non-Marquette County bowlers who advanced to match play — No. 5 Chloe Roell (IM) 935, No. 6 Abby Ward (IM) 910, No. 10 Melanie Frank (Menominee) 864, No. 11 Lauren Westenbroek (Gladstone) 851, No. 14 Hailey Cawley (Menominee) 840 and No. 16 Reanna Yagodzinski (Escanaba) 797.

Story contents based on an email received from Marquette Senior High School assistant bowling coach Maria Virch. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.