Marion County College Report

Centralia's Bielong Inks Historical Letter of Intent with McKendree Bearcats

Posted on February 19, 2010 by Daniel L. Chamness

Sitting: Rick & Dawn Campbell (Mother), Patrick Bielong, Pat (Father) & Laura Bielong Standing: Alex Pracht (CHS bowling coach), Lee Bennett (CHS Athletic Director), Gary White (McKendree bowling coach), Kent Van Cleve (CHS bowling coach), Yancy Goodin (CHS bowling coach), Mike Chambers (Banks Bowl owner)

While there have been many former Centralia High School athletes compete in sports in college, Patrick Bielong will forever be remembered as the first Orphans athlete to compete in collegiate bowling.

The Centralia senior decided to trade his cardinal red and white for purple when he signed up to roll the rock with McKendree University.

"We really liked the fact that he was from a bowling family," McKendree coach Gary White said. "We are impressed with what he has done at CHS in only two years. His family wanted him to go to college and compete as a bowler, and they were excited about McKendree. There is usually a learning curve, but we expect Patrick to contribute to the team by his sophomore year."

During his senior campaign, Bielong has compiled a 184 average with a high game of 268. His top performance in a three-game series was a 600, and he has a six-game high of 1,205. He rolled a 1,005 over five games at the conference tournament and has a career high of 288.

"We will miss his leadership qualities most of all," CHS bowling coach Kent Van Cleve said. "Patrick could get the team fired up like no one else on our squad. He was a solid number three bowler in our lineup."

Bielong has bowled quite a few times at Banks Bowl and will continue to do so. Banks Bowl owner Mike Chambers< and Salem Bowl owner Steve Ludwig have been instrumental in helping Bielong begin his successful career. Chambers was a driving force behind CHS getting a varsity team together and has contributed to the team in numerous ways.

During the summer, Ludwig will set up practice lanes for Bielong with the sports shot oil pattern, which is typically used in college. The high school teams use a house pattern, the same pattern used for league bowling.

"Even with the change in pattern, I hope to stay around a 185 average," Bielong said. "There was no other school I really considered. I wanted to bowl and McKendree was the only place for me. A number of people helped me get here. Chambers and Ludwig as well as Centralia assistant coaches Alex Pracht and Yancy Goodin have all helped me get here. I hope they will continue to help me be successful in college."

Bielong, who also golfs for CHS, is planning to golf recreationally only in college. He will be seeking a degree in education and hopes to eventually coach and teach. Bielong will have some Marion County company when he joins the McKendree bowling team as Salem graduates Stephen Riley and Alex Henseler already bowl for the Bearcats. ...

Swimming

Illinois State’s Lindsay Dinkelman, a Centralia grad, helped the Redbirds take second in the Missouri Valley Conference Finals held at Southern Illinois-Carbondale. Individually, Dinkelman finished fourth in the 100-yard breastroke with a time of 1-minute, 6.87-seconds. She was also fifth in the 200-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 2:26.00.

Dinkleman was also a member of the two third place relay teams including the 400-yard medley (3:52.03) and 200-yard medley (1:47.48). As a team, Illinois State scored 706 points. Missouri State University finished first with 981.5 points. ...

Women's Basketball

Former Salem Wildcats star Ellen Young exploded for 26 points to help Southern Indiana clip Indianapolis 82-76. It was the first Great Lakes Valley Conference loss of the year for Indianapolis. Young hit 10-of-14 from the field, which included 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. At the time of the contest, Indy was ranked second in the country among NCAA Division II teams. In USI's 70-51 loss to the Drury University Panthers, Young was held to four points. She also had four steals, three rebounds and three assists. Southern Indiana is 18-7 overall and 9-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Indianapolis fell to 24-1 overall and 15-1 in the GLVC. ...

Kaskaskia College suffered a heartbreaking 63-61 loss to Lake Land College. Salem grad Amanda Oulrey scored 13 points for the Blue Angels, adding four assists and two steals. Fellow KC player Courtney Herron, a Centralia grad, finished with eight points and five rebounds, while former Salem player Caroline Smith finished with four points, six steals and two assists. KC is 10-13 overall. ...

Former Centralia High School player Danielle Miller, a Dominican University sophomore, scored nine points in DU’s 65-49 loss to Concordia-Chicago. Miller, who started and played 22 minutes, also had seven rebounds. In DU's 59-50 triumph over Aurora, Miller finished with five points, seven rebounds, three assists and two assists. ...

Courtney Wiedemer, a Salem grad and St. Louis College of Pharmacy player, scored six points as STLCOP defeated Lincoln Christian 51-37. Wiedemer also had two rebounds and two steals. St. Louis College of Pharmacy is 3-17 overall and 0-6 in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. ...

DePauw’s Kristin Barrow, a Centralia grad, has scored 13 points, pulled down 20 rebounds and doled out two assists over 14 games this season. Barrow has scored her points by hitting 6-of-10 field goals and 1-of-2 free throws. DePauw is 20-3 overall and 12-1 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. ...

Men's Basketball

Centralia grad Matt Shaw is helping Illiabum Clube creep closer to the .500 mark. In Illiabum Clube's 95-79 win over Sampaense Basket, Shaw finished with 30 points hitting 12-of-17 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the stripe. The former Southern Illinois-Carbondale player completed the double-double with 11 rebounds and two steals. Illiabum Clube is 6-7 overall. ...

John Fischer a Salem grad and Greenville College senior, netted 13 points to help Greenville overcome Logan Chiropractic 83-80. The former Wildcat hit 6-of-8 field goals, which included one from beyond the arc. He also had four steals in his 20 minutes of play. Greenville is 9-12 overall and 4-7 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. ...

Blackburn College has struggled this year, but they did win their second St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game this past week. Behind 12 points by Salem grad Dakota Tucker, Blackburn defeated Principia College 66-60. Tucker, who also had nine rebounds, hit 3-of-6 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws. He emerged off the bench and played 20 minutes. In Blackburn's 85-49 loss to Harris Stowe State University, Tucker finished with nine points and four rebounds. Blackburn is 4-16 overall and 2-10 in the SLIAC. ...

Former Centralia Orphans star Joey Parker started both of Lindenwood’s wins over Missouri Valley College (63-60) and Graceland (86-68). In the win over MVC, Parker, who drained 5-of-11 from the field and 1-of-2 from the stripe, finished the Missouri Valley contest with 12 points and four assists. In the win over Graceland, Parker doled out a team-leading 10 assists, adding seven points and four rebounds. Lindenwood has won its past three games and carries a respectable 18-8 overall record. They are 10-6 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. ...

Andy Wolff, a Centralia resident and Metro-East Lutheran grad, scored seven points as McKendree thumped Columbia College 71-41. The McKendree junior finished with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. McKendree, who has won 11 consecutive games and is currently ranked seventh in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. McKendree is 20-5 overall and 9-0 in the American Midwest Conference. ...

Indoor Track

Former Centralia Orphans runner Travis Lavin, now a McKendree runner, finished 22nd in the 3,000-meter run at the Hoosier Hills Invitational. Lavin posted a 8:58.65 in the distance race. Team scores were not kept at the Indiana University hosted meet. ...