New Prague bowler looking forward to national competition

Hunter Pomije is hoping his college bowling career ends on the highest of high notes when he and his UW-Whitewater teammates compete for another national championship.

The Warhawks will seek another national championship next week at the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Team Championships April 14- 19 in Las Vegas, Nev. The Warhawks last claimed the USBC national title in 2022.

Pomije, a junior majoring in finance at UW-Whitewater, will graduate this spring after three years. He and his teammates won the national club team title March 29-30 in Rockford, Ill. The Warhawks topped Purdue in the tournament final to earn their third national club team title in the last seven years.

The son of Julie and Darin Pomije, Hunter is one of the team’s top bowlers. The New Prague lefty averaged about 205 for his complete games this season. That places him in the top 100 of the approximately 1,500 collegiate bowlers nationally. His scores have climbed dramatically since he arrived on the UW-Whitewater campus as a freshman. In high school, Pomije practiced a few hours a week. In college, members of the team were expected to practice two hours a day four days a week. Along with the academics and life away from home, it was a challenging transition, he said.

“It took some getting used to,” he said.

Whitewater coach Brandon Mooney remembers Pomije arriving on campus. He promised the incoming freshman he’d be “in the mix” for a spot on the team. Pomije earned the spot and has maintained it. He traveled with the team consistently throughout the club season. In the 96 frames he bowled in the national tournament last month, Pomije filled the frame (spare or strike) 92 times.

He works hard to be as consistent as possible, focusing on the shot in...

To see more on this story pick up the April 10, 2025 print edition of The New Prague Times.