Tenyer, Wrenn ready for super soph follow-up seasons

Two super sophomores are poised and ready to lead their respective girls bowling teams to a new level of success this season.

Sarah Tenyer of Barrington and Emma Wrenn from Hersey, who have known each other since competing together on the Beverly Lanes travel team during middle school, each posted outstanding marks as freshmen in their inaugural prep season.

Consider these stats: both Wrenn and Tenyer excelled in Mid-Suburban League play, with Tenyer finishing fourth overall in league average with a 194.54 while Wrenn was sixth at 190.51.

Tenyer boasted the second-highest 3-game series in the conference with a 710, Wrenn had the fifth-highest overall series with a 673, and each had a 257 high game.

Then in the postseason, Tenyer qualified for sectionals by shooting 1,189 at the Buffalo Grove regional tourney, while Wrenn made it all the way through regionals and sectionals to the state finals in Rockford, where she made a name for herself with two days of stellar bowling.

The Huskies frosh finished Day 1 tied for 13th place individually with a 1,387, then fired three games over 200 on the final day of the tourney to place 30th.

And remember, all of this was accomplished while the competitors were still trying to adjust to their high school schedules as incoming frosh.

"I had so much fun last year," said Tenyer. "It was a fantastic environment, and our team was so close. Knowing that because of practice and meets most of the time I wouldn't get home until 8:30, I tried to get a lot of my work done at school. This year should be easier because I know what to expect."

Wrenn couldn't agree more.

"I'd call my first year unpredictable," said the humble Huskies sophomore. "I loved my team, my coach, and the competition in the Mid-Suburban League. You do have to juggle your grades, your family and your studies in addition to bowling, but that's what being a varsity athlete is all about.

"There would be nights that I'd be up until 11 or 12 working on homework."

All of the hard work put in by the girls was much appreciated by their coaches, Sam Raia of Barrington and Julie Arias from Hersey.

"Sarah is a breeze to coach," said Raia. "She's dedicated to the sport, and she puts in the time that she needs to put in to be as good as she can be. I looked at my job (last season) to just transition her as well as I could into high school bowling."

"She's a solid kid," added Raia, "and a strong leader in all areas with a great personality. She leads by example and ability."

Arias was just as appreciative of the dedication of Wrenn.

"Emma's obviously got a lot of talent," said Arias, "but she surpassed even our own high expectations. She had a serious improvement from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, and the most impressive thing about Emma was how well she performed in pressure situations."

Both players are focused on their studies as well as their sport, with Tenyer's interest in history and science while Wrenn counts mathematics as her favorite subject.

And now both competitors are looking forward to even better seasons on the lanes in 2014.

"I want to improve my average," said Tenyer, "and make it all the way to state this year - not only myself, but also along with my teammates. We've got a solid team with a lot of talented incoming freshman, and I just hope to stay focused and be as consistent as I can be."

"I can struggle with that at times - bowl two good games, for example, and then one bad one - and get a little out of focus. But I consider myself a team leader so I not only have to improve individually but help my teammates as much as I can."

The same goes for Wrenn.

"I get frustrated sometimes," said the sophomore, "when I struggle, or have a couple of opens in a row. I want to improve my attitude, stay positive, pick up every spare that I can, and help my team. We fell just short of making it to state (as a team) last year, but overall we've got the talent to do it this year."

And when asked about their favorite moments from their freshman campaigns, neither player hesitated to come up with an answer.

"Making it to the state tournament (at Cherry Bowl Lanes) in Rockford," said Wrenn. "That was the real deal. It was so crazy there, but I loved it, and I loved bowling against the best competition in the state. It really opened my eyes."

And for Tenyer, who fell just short of advancing to Rockford, it was the thrill of the early rounds of the IHSA playoffs.

"My best memory was of the regional tournament," said the Barrington soph. "Just how loud it was, and how everyone was cheering you on. I was so excited to be there and I can't wait to get back this season."