The Upper Iowa women's bowling team began 2023 with a bang this weekend as they competed in and hosted the second ever Brunswick/CVSC Peacock Classic. The event took place at Cadillac XBC in Waterloo, Iowa.
 
Nine teams participated in the event, including #16 Newman University and the defending champions Valparaiso University. The tournament's format featured five team Baker matches on Friday, five traditional team matches on Saturday, and wrapped up with best of seven team Baker matches on Sunday.
 
The Peacocks put together the highest finish at an event in program history, taking 3rd place with an overall record of 7-5. They knocked over 4,774 pins in the team Baker matches, 4,420 pins in the traditional matches, and 2,881 during bracket play for a tournament total of 12,075 pins, which was the highest total of all the teams.
 
On Friday, UIU opened play by establishing a new program record for pins in a single match, knocking over 1,079 pins in their win over Newman. The team went 4-1 on the day with their only blemish being a loss to Valparaiso by just 14 pins. A full recap of Friday's action can be found in the video linked above.
 
On Saturday, after dropping their first two matches to Newman and Lewis University, the Peacocks responded with wins over Carroll University and Quincy University to finish the day at 2-2. Individually, Michaela Morgan led the way with a total of 736 pins in four games, including a high game of 227. She was followed by Dana Murata and Emma Hawley, who each finished with a total of 705 pins in four games.
 
On Sunday, UIU began the day as the #2 seed in the bracket. In their opening match, the Peacocks faced the #1 seed in Newman for the third time in as many days, but the Jets took the rubber match in five games. Match two featured another rematch vs. Lewis, which the Flyers were able to win in five games. Needing a win in their final match to make the winner's stand, UIU got the better of Valparaiso the second time around, winning the match in six games.
 
"I am so proud of the team's performance this weekend," said Head Coach Nichole DePaul. "This is the biggest accomplishment for our program. Not only getting the opportunity to compete, but to make the podium at our home tournament has been a dream of mine for this group, and I'm so happy they were able to make it a reality."
 
"The weekend started strong with the team finishing in first after day one. Despite some hardships on Saturday, the ladies stayed confident and worked hard to maintain a top seed. While the loss to Newman was tough, the ladies stayed together in order to finish third. To say the least, 'Keep Grinding' was the theme of the weekend," said Assistant Coach Steve Landry.
 
Up next, the Peacocks will look to build off of this weekend's momentum at the Columbia 300 Saints Invitational. The event, hosted by Maryville University, will take place at Bowlero Lakeside Lanes in Valley Park, Missouri beginning on January 27.