Cedar Rapids Jefferson’s Anna Warkel wins state bowling championship

For the second straight year, a Cedar Rapids Jefferson bowler is bringing home a state title. This time, a tournament record is part of the package, too.

Junior Anna Warkel bowled a 513 Wednesday at Cadillac XBC in Waterloo to claim the 2020 Class 3A girls' state bowling championship. She rolled 245 in the first game and 268 in the second game, good for a 3A record.

Jefferson's Kaylee Donner - the 2019 Gazette Female Athlete of the Year - won the 3A state title last season with a 476.

Warkel was 19 pins ahead of runner-up Maddi Smith of Davenport Central. Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Michaela Beckmann tied for fourth with Cassie Lee of Des Moines Lincoln with scores of 450, 29 pins behind Ottumwa's Zoe Seamans. Cedar Rapids Prairie's Stephanie Thompson was also a top-10 finisher, taking eighth with a 413.

Jefferson took second as a team with a score of 2,906. Ottumwa (3,014) was the team champion. Also bowling for Jefferson were Caitlyn Rawson, Aryana Benesh, Emma Hindt, Kaitlyn Jackson and Devin Dauenbaugh.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy took fifth, Cedar Rapids Prairie eighth.

Waterloo East took the Class 2A title Tuesday, led by individual champion Abigail Williams (493). West Delaware's Lorna Niedert (473) was second.

In Class 1A on Monday, Whittney Morse of Louisa-Muscatine became the state's first three-time state bowling champion with a score of 484. Vinton-Shellsburg's Christina Harrelso (451) was the runner-up. Morse also led the Falcons to the team title.

Boys' champions included Camanche (1A), Fort Dodge (2A) and Waterloo West (3A) in the team race and Troy Edmunds of Camanche (1A), Kaleb Anderson of Fort Dodge (2A) and Lucas Kramer of Marshalltown (3A) on the team side.