Unified State Bowling Championship is March 14 at Western Bowl
40 high schools to come together and compete
Special Olympics Indiana is proud to host the 10th annual Champions Together Unified Bowling State Tournament on Saturday, March 14, at Western Bowl.
An Opening Ceremony at 12:50 p.m. leads into the start of competition at 1 p.m.
Forty-two (42) high school teams from across Indiana will compete in a five-player bakers format with at least two students being Special Olympics athletes, and two being Unified partners. Each school fields three teams of five, who will bowl five games during the tournament.
There are two divisions. The High School Division includes teams where all competitors are students at the same school. The Open Division includes teams that include athletes who do not attend the high school or already graduated from that high school.
The state champion is determined by a combined score from all three teams.
The following teams participated in sectional events held in February throughout the state. Twenty-six (26) schools move on to the state tournament based on sectional scores.
- Alexandria
- Arsenal Tech
- Bishop Chatard
- Blackford
- Bloomington North
- Boonville
- Carmel
- Cathedral
- Chesterton
- DeKalb
- East Noble
- Edgewood
- Elwood
- Evansville North
- Fishers
- Franklin Community
- Griffith
- Hamilton Heights
- Hamilton Southeastern
- Hobart
- Lafayette Central Catholic
- Lafayette Jefferson
- Lawrence Central
- Lebanon
- Madison Consolidated
- Manchester
- Martinsville
- Mooresville
- Muncie Central
- Noblesville
- North Central
- Perry Meridian
- Roncalli
- South Ripley
- Twin Lakes
- Valparaiso
- Warren Central
- Washington Township (Valparaiso)
- Westfield
- Woodlan
“When students with and without intellectual disabilities compete together in the Unified Bowling State Championship, it’s about so much more than sport,” Special Olympics Indiana Senior Director of Unified Champion Schools Mike Hasch said. “it’s about connection, respect and breaking down barriers. On the lanes, students learn from one another, build genuine friendships and experience firsthand what inclusion looks like in action. That shared competition transforms school culture and elevates everyone involved.”
More than 600 Indiana schools participate in the Unified Champion Schools program – from elementary age to college. Special Olympics partners with the IHSAA for Unified state tournaments in flag football and track and field. Special Olympics also hosts state tournaments for Bocce and Cornhole.
Media are welcome to attend the event. Reach out to Joe Frollo (jfrollo@soindiana.org) for more information or help with interviews.
Update
The following schools will compete in the state tournament on March 14.
High School Division
- Elwood
- South Ripley
- Lafayette Jefferson
- Franklin Community
- DeKalb
- Griffith
- Madison
- Twin Lakes
- Fishers
- Noblesville
- Hobart
- Valparaiso
- North Central
- Edgewood
- Arsenal Tech
- East Noble
- Hamilton Southeastern
- Martinsville
- Lawrence Central
- Mooresville
Open Division
- Cathedral High School
- Lafayette Central Catholic
- Bishop Chatard
- Woodlan Jr/Sr
- DeKalb High School
- Hamilton Heights