Kendall County MVA Female Athlete of the Week: Allison Nape, Yorkville, bowling, senior

WHY SHE WAS SELECTED:

Nape bowled a 1,378 series to win the Lockport Regional title. She led the Foxes, who took second to Lockport, to advance to this weekend's sectional meet as a team.

Nape talked to sports editor Joshua Welge about her regional meet, the season and more. Here is an edited version of the transcript:

Welge: Was that your high series of the season? Was your high game Saturday your best-ever game?

Nape: It was the highest series I've bowled. I had a 299 game about six months ago during the summer.

Welge: What's your reaction to winning the regional?

Nape: I wouldn't have won it without my team. The energy was just so high and we were all so excited that we stayed in second place throughout the whole day. We just all had that grind and determination to do good.

Welge: I heard you started your last game with seven straight strikes. Can you tell me about it?

Nape: I found a good spot on the lane. By the second frame I felt like it was going to be a good game and I felt I could get close to 300. Sadly it didn't happen but I felt I was doing as good as I had in a long time, since the middle of the season when I had a hand injury. It was good to overcome that.

Welge: What happened with the injury?

Nape: In the middle of the season I was bowling and felt a pop in the middle of my palm and my fingers were swollen and wrist was swollen. I just iced it, took my time, sat out a bit to be ready for the end of the season. It was probably just a muscle from overuse. I took about four days off, let it heal and it's been fine ever since.

Welge: Were you familiar with the lanes Saturday?

Nape: That was actually the second time bowling there. It was kind of a change, but it wasn't that hard to adapt. I used to bowl at Fox Bowl in Wheaton, it's kind of the same as that house with the synthetic lanes. The ones we play on in Yorkville are wood.

Welge: What are other highlights this season?

Nape: The first tournament of the year at Plainfield Lanes I got third.

Welge: What was your highest postseason advancement before this year?

Nape: Freshman year we went to sectionals as a team. I had gone as an individual sophomore and junior year.

Welge: How'd you get started bowling?

Nape: I started bowling when I was little. My dad was actually a professional bowler in his earlier years in life, he's also a manager at Fox Bowl in Wheaton. Bowling has been a big part of my life since I was younger. My brother's a bowler, my mom's a bowler, we're just a bowling family.

Welge: Do you plan to bowl in college?

Nape: I'm actually going to the University of St. Francis to bowl on their bowling team. I'm pretty excited about that. I've been looking forward to bowling in college since elementary school. I plan to study psychology.